222 Arrested for Cyber Sexual Violence... Over Half Involved in Child and Adolescent Sexual Exploitation

During a six-month period, 222 individuals were apprehended by the police for cyber sexual violence crimes, with more than half of the offenders involved in child and adolescent sexual exploitation.

Image related to cyber sexual violence. Photo by Yonhap News

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Cyber Investigation Unit announced on the 29th that, as a result of a crackdown on cyber sexual violence crimes, they had arrested 222 offenders, of whom 13 were taken into custody. Notably, the largest group consisted of 124 individuals (11 of whom were detained) involved in child and adolescent sexual exploitation. This crackdown was conducted in conjunction with a focused operation against false video crimes led by the National Office of Investigation from August 28 of last year to March 31 of this year.

According to the police, a 17-year-old male suspect, referred to as A, was taken into custody on charges of collaborating with an accomplice, B, to threaten 19 female victims in their early teens from July of last year, producing 34 pieces of child and adolescent sexual exploitation material, possessing 81 illegal recordings, and 1,832 pieces of fabricated video content. In particular, A continuously threatened the victims using methods similar to those employed by the Telegram vigilante group known as "Moksa," coercing them into providing exploitative material and instructing them to identify additional victims.

Two other suspects who were detained were found to have installed CCTV cameras in officetel apartments from September to December 2023, illegally recording sexual acts involving 53 female victims. Another two suspects were taken into custody on charges of producing 46 pieces of child and adolescent sexual exploitation material from 2019 to November of last year, as well as creating and possessing 281 fabricated videos involving 182 victims, including workplace colleagues.

A police official stated, "Cyber sexual violence is a social and personal crime that can completely destroy a victim's life," adding, "We intend to respond strictly to cyber sexual violence offenders, considering not only the production and distribution but also the possession or viewing of such material as serious crimes."

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