From 'Telegram' to 'Discord'... All Channels for Distributing Obscene Materials Thoroughly Investigated

Police Expand Investigation into Child Sexual Exploitation Materials
Commissioner Min Gap-ryong "Analyzing Numerous Reports Received"
Cooperative Investigation with Overseas SNS Companies and HSI
Decision on Disclosure of 'Baksa Bang' Operator's Identity to Be Made Tomorrow

Telegram 'Baksa Bang' operator in his 20s, Jo Mo.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] Police investigations related to the Telegram 'Baksa Bang' (Doctor's Room), which sparked social outrage due to sexual exploitation of women including minors, are expanding.

On the 23rd, Police Commissioner Min Gap-ryong stated in a written briefing, "Through self-monitoring, we have identified cases of child sexual exploitation materials and illegal obscene materials distributed via 'Discord' and are investigating them," adding, "We have also received numerous reports from women's organizations and are currently analyzing them."

Since September last year, the police have been investigating sexual exploitation chat rooms such as 'Nth Room' and 'Baksa Bang,' arresting 124 people and detaining 18 as of the 20th of this month. It was also confirmed that the messenger program 'Discord,' mainly used for communication during gaming, is being used as a channel for distributing obscene materials.

Both Telegram and Discord are overseas messengers, so international cooperation is required for investigations. The National Police Agency has established a 'Global IT Company Cooperation Task Force' within the Cyber Safety Bureau to strengthen collaboration with overseas social network service (SNS) companies. Regarding Discord, which is based in San Francisco, USA, Commissioner Min explained that the company has conveyed to Korean police that it will provide data upon request following relevant procedures. He emphasized, "We plan to actively investigate in close cooperation with the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and other agencies, centered on the nationwide cyber sexual violence investigation teams."

The decision on whether to publicly disclose the real name, face, and age of Jo Mo, a man in his 20s who operated the Telegram Baksa Bang, is expected soon. Commissioner Min said, "The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency will hold a disclosure committee on the 24th to decide on the disclosure," adding, "The decision will be made after careful consideration of the public's right to know, prevention of the suspect's recidivism, and crime prevention effects."

Earlier, the police arrested and detained Jo on the 16th of this month. The number of confirmed victims of Jo's crimes currently stands at 74, including minors. Meanwhile, a Blue House petition requesting the public disclosure of Jo's identity and to have him stand at the photo line has received over 2.2 million signatures as of this morning. Another petition demanding the disclosure of identities of others who used the room has also garnered over 1.5 million signatures.

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