Busan Police Arrest 20s Suspected 'n번방' Member... Distribution of Sexual Exploitation Material

Sale of Over 2,700 Sexual Exploitation Materials
Seizure of Criminal Proceeds

A man in his 20s who resold sexually exploitative materials presumed to have been distributed in the so-called 'n번방' through Telegram was arrested by the police. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] A man in his 20s who resold sexually exploitative materials presumed to have been distributed in the so-called 'n번방' through Telegram has been arrested by the police.

The Busan Metropolitan Police Agency's Digital Crime Investigation Unit announced on the 2nd that they have detained A (27) on charges of violating the Juvenile Protection Act (production and distribution of obscene materials) and the Sexual Violence Punishment Act (filming using cameras, etc.).

A is suspected of advertising 'n번방, Baksa방, and other materials' through overseas social networking services (SNS) from December last year until recently, inviting buyers to Telegram chat rooms, and selling a total of 2,608 items?including 1,465 child sexual exploitation materials and 1,143 illegal recordings?to about 20 people.

Police investigations revealed that A received virtual currency from buyers and sold sexually exploitative videos and other materials.

The police confirmed that A stored child sexual exploitation materials using services from overseas IT companies and succeeded in arresting him through international cooperation investigations with the National Police Agency (Cyber Safety Division).

The police conducted digital forensics on the items seized from A and confiscated child sexual exploitation materials. They also seized approximately 2.4 million KRW in criminal proceeds that A had stored, traced through cryptocurrency transactions.

Furthermore, the police are tracking about 20 other buyers who purchased child sexual exploitation materials and illegal recordings from A.

In particular, the police found A's Telegram nickname in the membership list of the Baksa방 case currently under investigation by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and are verifying whether A is a member of Baksa방.

During the police investigation, A reportedly denied related charges, claiming he is not a member of Baksa방 and that the child sexual exploitation videos he sold were not obtained from 'n번방' or 'Baksa방.'

Meanwhile, the police plan to expand the investigation to identify the initial source from which A obtained the child sexual exploitation materials and the additional distribution channels used for resale.

*If you are experiencing difficulties due to illegal filming or distribution of photos or videos, threats using such materials, or sexual harassment in cyberspace, support is available through the Women's Emergency Hotline 1366 and the Digital Sexual Crime Victim Support Center (02-735-8994).

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