Juhonggeulssi Halts Activities, Citing Difficulties Amid Tightening Police Investigation

Juhonggeulssi Announces End to Personal Information Disclosure Activities
Illegally Posted Personal Data Deleted
Existing Chat Room to Be Handed Over to a Third Party

[Asia Economy, reporters Song Seungyun and Lee Jungyoon] The group "Juhonggeulssi," which had identified itself as a vigilante group on Telegram and disclosed the personal information of perpetrators of sexual exploitation, has abruptly announced it will cease its activities.

On the afternoon of October 18, Juhonggeulssi announced through a chat room titled "Juhonggeulssi Disbandment Ceremony" that it would voluntarily end its vigilante activities. Regarding the reason for suspending its operations, Juhonggeulssi stated, "We determined it was difficult to continue due to the tightening police investigation." They also explained that the decline in sex crimes on Telegram compared to the past was another reason for the decision to cease activities.

In the chat room, those involved with Juhonggeulssi voiced their grievances. They claimed that although they provided information about perpetrators of sexual exploitation to help eradicate sex crimes, the police and media instead treated them as criminals. They also expressed frustration regarding a current affairs TV program that alleged Juhonggeulssi profited financially under the pretense of disclosing personal information.

After announcing the suspension of its activities, Juhonggeulssi deleted all personal information from its existing disclosure chat rooms. However, the group did not "shut down" or close the chat room entirely. The individual known as "A," who operated Juhonggeulssi, said, "Someone offered to take over the chat room, so instead of closing it, we decided to hand it over," adding, "It appears it will be used for a different purpose, not to continue Juhonggeulssi's activities."

Juhonggeulssi, established in July of last year, had acted as a self-proclaimed vigilante group, arbitrarily disclosing the identities of individuals suspected of producing, purchasing, or possessing sexually exploitative material. Although this is a clear criminal act, after the so-called Nth Room case became a public issue, there was some positive public sentiment in favor of strict punishment for perpetrators. However, as controversies over private sanctions arose-such as those surrounding the personal information disclosure website "Digital Prison"-criticism also mounted against those conducting similar activities.

Previously, Juhonggeulssi stated that it was under significant psychological stress due to the police investigation. The group had originally expressed confidence that it could avoid police scrutiny, being well aware that it was difficult to track them since they only used Telegram and no other messaging platforms. However, with some Juhonggeulssi members already arrested and even the operator of Digital Prison subsequently apprehended, it appears this anxiety has grown. Nonetheless, they had stated they had no intention of turning themselves in to the police.

Currently, the Cyber Investigation Unit of the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency is exclusively handling the investigation related to Juhonggeulssi. Since April, the police have been investigating for six months, successfully apprehending some members of the group. However, personal information disclosures continued until recently by members who had not yet been caught.

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