"Telegram n번방 Punishment" National Assembly Petition Surpasses 100,000 Signatures... First Petition Established

A National Assembly petition urging measures against digital sex crimes occurring on Telegram has gained the support of over 100,000 people. Photo by National Assembly Public Consent Petition website capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] A petition urging the National Assembly to establish measures against the so-called 'n-bunbang incident,' in which women were threatened and forced to film sexually exploitative videos that were then distributed in Telegram secret chat rooms along with personal information, has garnered over 100,000 signatures.

According to the National Assembly petition board on the 10th, this petition is the first since the National Assembly launched the online petition site last month on the 10th to receive more than 100,000 endorsements, thus officially becoming a valid petition.

The petitioner, Mr. Choi, stated, "I submitted this petition to fundamentally resolve various forms of digital sexual crimes occurring on Telegram, to allow victims to return to their daily lives, and to prevent the recurrence of such digital sexual crimes."

Mr. Choi said, "In November last year, the Telegram sexual exploitation case known as the 'n-bunbang incident' was reported through the media. However, despite media coverage and the arrest of some distributors, similar channels with the same nature are still openly operating."

He emphasized, "What is more serious is that the targets of these digital sexual crimes are very broad. In fact, deepfake pornography synthesizing the faces of female celebrities, BJs, and acquaintances, as well as illegally filmed photos and videos of private living spaces, are also being distributed and traded through Telegram. Distributors and consumers make sexually harassing and secondary victimization remarks toward the victims."

He continued, "These Telegram channels are divided into deepfake pornography production/sales rooms and illegal filming rooms," adding, "This indicates that female exploitation via Telegram is not limited to the ‘n-bunbang’ and that the victims are by no means a small number."

Mr. Choi then called for △ international cooperative investigations by the police △ establishment of dedicated digital sexual crime units within investigative agencies and preparation of response manuals including prevention of secondary victimization △ strict sentencing guidelines for digital sexual crimes to prevent offenses.

Finally, Mr. Choi added, "Telegram sexual exploitation is violence against women and a serious human rights violation that must be eradicated. I urge the National Assembly to respond so that victims no longer suffer and such digital sexual crimes do not recur."

Earlier, on the 9th, the National Police Agency announced that it had cracked down on cyber sexual violence crimes using Telegram, arresting a total of 66 people, including 16 operators and accomplices and 50 individuals involved in the distribution and possession of child sexual exploitation materials.

Regarding this, Jeong Chun-sook, floor spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Korea, issued a statement saying, "The n-bunbang operators stole victims’ personal information and threatened them to film obscene materials, and the victims included not only adults but also minors such as children and adolescents, which is a horrific situation," emphasizing, "Cyber sexual violence is a serious crime that completely destroys the lives of victims."

Spokesperson Jeong added, "No more victims should lose their lives due to cyber sexual violence. I hope the government will respond more strongly to cyber sexual violence crimes using the dark web, secure messengers, and so on. Additionally, I urge strengthening emergency support for victims of cyber sexual violence."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.