High School Student Operating Telegram Chat Room for 'Teen Sexual Exploitation Material Sharing'

Officials from the Daejeon Women's Association are demanding strict punishment for those involved in the 'Telegram Nth Room' case, a sexual exploitation video distribution incident, in front of the Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office. March 30, 2020.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] A high school student who threatened teenage male students to produce sexual exploitation materials and then operated a Telegram chatroom to share them has been arrested.

The Cyber Investigation Unit of Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency announced on the 29th that they have arrested A (17), a second-year high school student, on charges of violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse, among others.

A is accused of threatening teenage male students and others for about ten days starting from mid-last month to produce sexual exploitation materials such as videos and photos, and then distributing them in a Telegram chatroom named "Jungang Jeongbobu Bang" (Central Intelligence Agency Room).

He reportedly advertised that he would create obscene materials by synthesizing photos of acquaintances, then used this as leverage to threaten teenage male students who commissioned the production to create sexual exploitation materials.

In the chatroom, A introduced himself as a "vigilante" and posted messages with the intention of punishing sex offenders.

After receiving suspicions related to the chatroom through recent media reports, the police confirmed that it was indeed being operated and launched an investigation. The police plan to conduct a strict investigation into participants of the chatroom as well.

A police official stated, "So far, six victims have been identified, five of whom are teenagers," adding, "Currently, the chatroom has been 'blown up' (deleted), so the exact number of participants is not known."

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