"Police Can't Catch Us": Juhonggeulssi's Confidence

Admins Respond to Police Investigation
"No Matter What Information They Have,
Tracking Us Is Impossible Without Telegram's Cooperation"
"Punishing Immoral Criminals by Exposing Their Identities"
"No Intention to Stop Vigilante Activities"

Introduction text of the Telegram chatroom 'Juhonggeulssi' (Photo by Telegram chatroom Juhonggeulssi capture)

[Asia Economy, Reporter Song Seungyun and Reporter Lee Jeongyun] The Telegram group chatroom 'Juhonggeulssi', which has sparked controversy by claiming to be a 'vigilante group' and exposing the identities of sex crime perpetrators or subjecting them to harsh treatment, has expressed confidence in response to the police investigation, saying, "They can't catch us anyway." Relying on Telegram's security features, the group openly mocked the police investigation and made it clear that they have no intention of stopping their activities.

Mr. A, who identified himself as a Juhonggeulssi administrator, commented on reports that the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency would be exclusively investigating Juhonggeulssi, saying, "No matter what information the police have, it will be difficult to track us without Telegram's cooperation." In a Telegram conversation with a reporter, Mr. A said, "Although group chats like Nth Room have disappeared, there are still many criminals," adding, "We only punished perpetrators who committed immoral crimes, and we will continue such activities in the future."

The reason for their confidence, despite the police tightening their investigation, is the anonymity and security of the Telegram app. It is known that Telegram does not store chat records on its servers, and all messages are deleted after a certain period. In order to verify user information, Telegram's cooperation is essential, but even the location of its headquarters and servers is not precisely known. There has never been a case where Telegram has complied with requests from investigative agencies in any country to provide user information.

The group has accurately identified these points. Juhonggeulssi argued that it is impossible to track them because they have left no digital traces outside the platform. They explained that individuals such as Cho Joo-bin (24, in custody) and other Nth Room operators were caught because they conducted financial transactions outside of Telegram, such as at cryptocurrency exchanges. As a result, Juhonggeulssi has established an internal 'iron rule' to ensure that no traces are left behind. The Juhonggeulssi administrator group is known to consist of around 16 people, and even among themselves, their personal information is kept strictly confidential.

They repeatedly emphasized that they have no intention of stopping their doxing activities, despite police investigations or public criticism. Even after news of the police investigation broke, the Juhonggeulssi chatroom continued to disclose the identities of more than 10 individuals involved in the Nth Room case.

The police are expanding their investigation into Telegram chatrooms engaging in vigilante activities, including Juhonggeulssi. On April 9, the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency announced that it had launched a preliminary investigation into the operators and personal information posters of the Juhonggeulssi chatroom on suspicion of violating the Information and Communications Network Act. The police have assigned the case to the Special Investigation Unit on Digital Sex Crimes. A police official stated, "We are repeatedly requesting cooperation from Telegram headquarters," and added, "We will do our utmost in the investigation related to Juhonggeulssi."

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