Gender Equality Ministry signs MOU with Korea Internet & Security Agency

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) have signed an MOU to build a cooperative framework aimed at proactively blocking the distribution of illegal content, including illegally filmed footage and prostitution advertisements.

The ministry announced Monday that it would sign the agreement with KISA that afternoon at Government Complex Seoul in Jongno-gu, Seoul.

The MOU combines the ministry's gender-based violence response capabilities — covering digital sex crimes and prostitution — with KISA's information-gathering and detection expertise, aiming to minimize public harm caused by the spread of illegal content online.

The agreement takes effect on the date of signing and remains valid for one year, renewing automatically in one-year increments unless either party provides written notice of termination at least three months before the expiration date.

Under the agreement, KISA will provide the ministry with data on harmful websites and spam text messages; the ministry will analyze the data and, where illegal content such as illegally filmed footage or prostitution advertisements is confirmed, request that the Korea Communications Standards Commission block the material, while also supplying KISA with key filtering keywords and phone numbers linked to confirmed illegal activity; and KISA will filter spam messages containing those keywords and cooperate on measures such as suspending the identified illegal phone numbers.

Minister Won Min-kyung said the unlimited replication and indiscriminate spread of digital sex crime material and illegal content "threatens the safety of people's everyday lives," adding that "active measures to block it in advance are essential." She pledged to "build a stronger shield to create a digital environment where everyone can feel safe."