Korean Webtoon Artists Demand Extradition of Illegal Webtoon Site Operator from Japan
The Korea Cartoonist Association and the Korea Webtoon Authors Association announced on July 22 that they have launched a petition urging the extradition of the operator behind 'New Rabbit,' a major illegal webtoon piracy site, from Japan to Korea.According to the associations, as of August 2023, six major illegal content distribution websites collectively logged 260 million visits, 2.25 billion pageviews, and 12.2 million unique users. Of these, New Rabbit alone accounted for 1.15 billion pageviews — more than half of the total. Damages from the site's activity are estimated at around US$29 million.In addition to operating New Rabbit, the operator is alleged to have run other major piracy sites, including Book Rabbit (for web novels) and Mana Rabbit (for Japanese manga).The associations claim that the operator evaded a 2022 criminal investigation by acquiring Japanese citizenship. “Despite repeated requests for judicial cooperation by the Korean government, Japanese authorities have failed to act, essentially allowing their citizen to continue illegal activity unchecked,” the two associations stated. “This ongoing inaction has compelled creators themselves to step forward and demand extradition.”Alongside the petition, the associations plan to hold a press conference in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul on August 11, urging the Japanese government to take decisive action.The associations are calling on Japanese authorities to arrest the site operator, cooperate in extradition proceedings, confiscate servers and assets located in Japan, and encourage Japanese content companies to join in legal action.Source: YNA (Kyung-yoon Kim)
