Created and Distributed 200 Pornographic Materials Including Teenagers... Overseas SNS Became a Gateway for Sexual Exploitation Content

Internet platforms headquartered overseas such as Telegram
used as channels for distributing illegal sexual exploitation videos
many obstacles to investigations including requests for international cooperation
political circles also express concerns about "difficulty in authorities' access"

Criminals who produced illegal digital sexual exploitation materials have been found to distribute videos on internet platforms headquartered overseas, attempting to evade investigations. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] It has been a year since the so-called 'Nth Room case,' involving the production and distribution of sexually exploitative videos of minors, shocked the public, yet digital sex crimes continue unabated online. In particular, criminals are actively using social networking services (SNS) headquartered overseas to evade investigations.

◆256 Cases of Sexually Exploitative Material Distributed via Overseas SNS to Evade Investigation

On the 19th, the Cyber Crime Investigation Unit of the Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency announced the arrest of a man in his 30s, identified as A, on charges of violating the Information and Communications Network Act and the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles Against Sexual Abuse. The police also booked 10 others involved in A's crimes on charges of distributing obscene materials.

According to the police, A and his accomplices produced 256 obscene videos over about a year, distributing and selling them on overseas SNS platforms, earning a total illegal profit of 450 million KRW.

A recruited one male and nine females through Twitter and produced sexually exploitative videos in various locations around the Gyeonggi area. Among the female victims in the videos, some were identified as minors.

The videos produced in this way were registered on 'OnlyFans,' a subscription-based SNS headquartered overseas. This platform allows users to watch content by paying a certain fee and is known for imposing few restrictions on pornographic and obscene content.

◆Telegram, OnlyFans... Overseas SNS as Channels for Distributing Sexually Exploitative Material

This is not the first attempt to use overseas SNS, which are difficult for domestic police to investigate, to evade investigations and distribute sexually exploitative materials. The so-called 'Nth Room' case last year, which involved continuous digital sexual exploitation of women including minors, used a similar method.

The main perpetrators of the so-called 'Nth Room' case, which sparked public outrage last year, also used the overseas secret messenger platform 'Telegram' to distribute sexual exploitation materials. / Photo by Yonhap News

At that time, perpetrators approached victims through SNS such as Twitter, mainly used by minors, obtained personal information, and then blackmailed them to produce sexually exploitative videos. The produced videos were shared via 'Telegram,' a secret messenger platform headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Digital sex crimes using overseas messengers like Telegram, including the Nth Room case, reportedly required considerable investigative resources. Since these companies are not headquartered domestically, investigations require international cooperation with relevant agencies in other countries, involving multiple procedures.

◆Challenges Also Faced Overseas, Including in the UK

Criminals are known to actively use overseas SNS, exploiting the limitations of police investigations. For example, during the height of the Nth Room investigation, Telegram saw a rise in so-called 'shelter' chat rooms, which were 'similar Nth Room chat rooms,' sparking controversy.

Users moved sexually exploitative videos traded in the Nth Room to these shelters and shared new shelter addresses among themselves to evade investigations.

Subscription-based SNS like OnlyFans are also used as channels for distributing sexually exploitative materials by some criminals. Established in the UK in 2016, OnlyFans has been primarily used by overseas sex workers since its early days because it does not restrict the registration of pornographic content.

Jo Joo-bin, the operator of the Telegram 'Doctor's Room' who threatened women including minors to produce and distribute illegal sexual exploitation videos, is being transferred from Jongno Police Station in Seoul to the prosecution last March. / Photo by Yonhap News

OnlyFans has caused multiple controversies regarding digital sexual exploitation not only in Korea but also in the US and the UK. In July, the British public broadcaster BBC reported on stalking, abuse, and threats occurring among OnlyFans users.

◆Investigations of Overseas Servers Still Difficult... Police Plan to Prevent Digital Sex Crimes through 'Undercover Operations'

Following the Nth Room case, the National Assembly significantly strengthened penalties for cyber sexual violence crimes. The 'Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Crimes, etc. (Nth Room Prevention Act),' passed by the National Assembly plenary session in April last year, introduced punishment provisions for those possessing, purchasing, storing, or viewing illegal recordings and also allowed punishment for those who threaten or coerce victims using illegal recordings.

However, despite the passage of the Nth Room Prevention Act, there are criticisms that blocking sexually exploitative materials distributed through overseas servers remains a distant goal.

At a national audit on the 5th, Heo Eun-ah, a member of the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting Committee from the People Power Party, pointed out, "Illegal recordings are distributed through overseas servers, which are difficult for domestic authorities to access, making deletion difficult. Even if action is taken, the materials are continuously replicated, so they do not disappear," adding, "Measures only block access domestically after the fact."

In this regard, the police plan to prevent and eradicate the spread of digital sexually exploitative materials by deploying 'undercover operations.' On the 23rd of last month, the National Police Agency announced the deployment of 40 undercover investigators as part of measures to prevent the recurrence of digital sex crime cases such as the Nth Room.

The basis for undercover operations was established through legislative measures for the protection of children and adolescents in the 'Digital Sex Crime Eradication Measures' prepared by the government in April last year. Accordingly, the police can conceal their identities to approach criminals and collect evidence and materials, and with court approval, they can be deployed undercover in investigations.

Regarding this, Kim Chang-ryong, Commissioner of the National Police Agency, emphasized, "Undercover operations have laid the foundation for proactive and preventive police activities," and added, "We will strive to eradicate digital sex crimes."

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