South Korean Police Deploy Deepfake Detection Tool in Run-up to Elections

South Korea’s National Police Agency has rolled out an AI-powered deepfake detection tool, trained on 5.2 million samples from 5,400 citizens, that evaluates videos in 5–10 minutes with about 80% accuracy and auto-generates results to support (but not directly evidence) criminal investigations; authorities plan collaboration with academia and industry. Against a backdrop of rising election-related deepfakes—129 flagged between Jan. 29 and Feb. 16—the country has enacted stricter penalties (up to seven years in prison and fines up to 50 million won) ahead of the April 10 election, while experts underscore AI’s dual role as both risk and remedy in countering misinformation.