Police Arrest 1,625 in Crackdown on Cyber Sexual Violence... New Method Using 'Subscription SNS' Detected

8 out of 10 Suspects Are in Their Teens to 30s
Additional Distributors and Possessors of Baksa Bang and N Beon Bang Also Caught
9,239 Cases Deleted and Blocked

Police Agency building.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] Suspects involved in the production, distribution, purchase, or possession of child and adolescent sexual exploitation materials and other cyber sexual violence content have been arrested in large numbers by the police.

The National Police Agency’s National Investigation Headquarters announced on the 10th that from March to October, they arrested 1,625 individuals through a "focused crackdown on illegal cyber sexual violence distribution networks and distributors," with 97 of them being detained. During this period, the police concentrated their efforts on illegal distribution networks such as secure messengers (Telegram, etc.), webhards, and overseas illegal websites, as well as suppliers involved in producing and selling sexual exploitation materials, and distributors involved in purchasing, possessing, or viewing such content.

By type of offense, purchasing, possessing, and viewing sexual exploitation materials accounted for the largest number with 706 people (43.4%). This was followed by distribution and sales with 650 people (40.0%), filming and production with 174 people (10.7%), and site establishment and operation with 95 people (5.9%). A police official analyzed, "Some suspects mistakenly perceive acts such as purchasing, possessing, and viewing as not criminal or consider them minor deviations, and they seem to have been under the illusion that they would not be caught by the police."

Regarding the age groups of suspects, those in their 20s were the largest group with 541 people (33.3%), but teenagers also accounted for a significant number with 474 people (29.2%). In particular, the age groups familiar with digital media, ranging from their teens to 30s, made up the majority (86.8%) of the arrested suspects.

The police confirmed that the distribution of such sexual exploitation materials is being conducted through a new type of overseas subscription-based social networking service (SNS) that provides and shares content only with users who pay a certain subscription fee, and they also carried out crackdowns on this. From May last year to August this year, the police arrested 11 operators who posted self-produced sexual exploitation materials on overseas subscription-based SNS platforms to earn subscription income, and preemptively seized criminal proceeds amounting to 317.39 million KRW. Additionally, from December last year to October this year, they arrested 3 operators who posted illegal sexual videos they personally appeared in or produced on the same platform and gained illicit profits, seizing criminal proceeds worth approximately 497.75 million KRW before prosecution.

To prevent the spread of secondary damage, the police are registering and managing victim videos in an illegal filming tracking system, requesting deletion and blocking, and simultaneously conducting investigations to track redistribution and possessors. As of the end of last month, 9,239 deletion and blocking requests were made through the system. Furthermore, they additionally arrested 280 users of the Telegram "Baksa Bang," 767 possessors of "n-beon Bang" sexual exploitation materials, and 35 purchasers of sexual exploitation materials on the dark web "Welcome to Video (W2V)," which were the starting points for sexual exploitation investigations.

A National Police Agency official stated, "To fundamentally block the demand and supply factors for child sexual exploitation materials and illegal filming materials, we will maintain a constant crackdown system and strengthen cooperation between agencies to focus on preventing the spread of harm. We will ensure that criminals face the judgment of the law through active use of the newly introduced undercover investigation system, continuous development of investigation techniques, and enhanced international cooperation," emphasizing their commitment.

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