Prospects of Telegram Investigation According to Former Advanced Crime Investigation Department Prosecutors

Telegram Aiming for Information 'Volatility'... Direct Investigation May Be Difficult
Suspect Identification Likely Possible Through Other Means

[Asia Economy Reporter Seokjin Choi] Although the prosecution has begun investigating Jo Joo-bin (24), who operated the 'Doctor's Room' on the online messenger Telegram and distributed sexually exploitative obscene materials, many expect that Telegram's security and closed nature will pose obstacles to the investigation. On the other hand, blockchain technology, which also emphasizes security, is anticipated to be the key to overcoming the obstacle of non-cooperation from Telegram headquarters.

For now, experts from the prosecution's Advanced Crime Investigation Division (ACID) have shown somewhat skeptical responses regarding the possibility of achieving results through direct investigation of Telegram.

Attorney Koo Tae-eon (Judicial Research and Training Institute class 24) of Law Firm Lin, who contributed from the early days of the prosecution's cyber investigations to the establishment of ACID, said, "While criminal judicial cooperation with the country where the Telegram server is located is not impossible, it will be difficult to achieve the desired effect due to Telegram's characteristics such as 'information volatility' and the temporal and spatial constraints of judicial cooperation."

Attorney Kim Hyun-soo (class 36) of Law Firm Taehwan, a former member of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office ACID, also said, "Information on Telegram is highly volatile, not properly stored on servers, and even what remains on mobile phones is difficult to recover. Even if judicial cooperation is achieved, it is questionable whether server seizure is possible and whether meaningful data can be secured through such seizure."

Another attorney A, also a former member of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office ACID, said, "If the counterpart country recognizes the seriousness of the crime and accepts the request for judicial cooperation, support can be received, but it is unknown how many months it will take to actually get help."

Currently, the prosecution does not disclose official statistics on cases of judicial cooperation requests related to Telegram. A prosecution official who requested anonymity said, "It seems that international judicial cooperation regarding Telegram has not proceeded smoothly so far."

Ultimately, there is also an opinion that the clue can be found not in Telegram but in blockchain. Attorney Koo said, "When investigating online porn sites usually hosted overseas, it is often the payment process, not the operator, that is tracked and caught. Since obscene material traders likely purchased currency at virtual currency exchanges to make payments, blockchain technology probably played a decisive role in capturing Jo Joo-bin."

Attorney Kim predicted, "If the mobile phones of traders who have not withdrawn from Telegram are secured and the investigative agency identifies the personal information of people who participated in the chat rooms through this, a breakthrough in the investigation can be found."

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