Arrest of the Operator of “Yubin Archive,” the Largest Illegal Study Material Sharing Channel in the Country

The Copyright Crime Investigation Team of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has arrested an individual suspected of operating the largest illegal paid study material sharing channel in the country.

On the 12th, the investigation team revealed that they apprehended individual A, who was running the illegal sharing channel 'Yubin Archive,' on the 23rd of last month, and are currently investigating without detention.

According to the investigation results, A opened Yubin Archive in July 2023 and is suspected of illegally copying over 16,000 high-priced study materials, including paid textbooks, video lectures from major academies, mock exam materials, and law school textbooks, distributing them to approximately 330,000 users, including college entrance exam candidates. The scale of copyright infringement has been assessed as significant.

Illegal Duplication of Over 16,000 High-Priced Study Materials

Despite the Claims of Addressing Educational Inequality, Profit Motive Revealed

Through an anonymous interview, A claimed that their actions were a righteous effort to address educational inequality. However, during the investigation, it was revealed that A was actually operating a separate paid sharing channel and profiting from the illegal copies.

This illustrates that the actions were motivated by profit rather than the public interest of educational equality.

The Copyright Crime Investigation Team of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has closed Yubin Archive and is conducting additional investigations on co-conspirators involved in the operation and material uploads, based on their level of involvement and scale. This case highlights the issue of copyright infringement utilizing anonymous messengers such as Telegram, emphasizing the growing importance of copyright protection in the digital environment.

Jeong Hyang-mi, Director of the Copyright Bureau of the Ministry, stated, "Copyright infringement in online spaces is a serious crime that undermines the efforts of creators and destroys the content industry ecosystem," and emphasized, "We will pursue and respond sternly to illegal acts that misuse anonymous channels like Telegram."

Image Source: Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism