Revealed Telegram 'Baksa Bang' Reality... Victimized Women Referred to as 'Noye', Earning Hundreds of Millions

A man in his 20s, Jo Mo, who was arrested on charges of threatening minors to produce sexual exploitation materials and distributing them on the mobile messenger Telegram, is seen leaving the courtroom after the detention hearing at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-dong, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 19th. Jo was detained on the same day.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

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[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] The true nature of the so-called 'Baksa Room,' which produced and distributed sexually exploitative materials on Telegram, is being fully revealed. The operator of the room is believed by the police to have threatened dozens of people, including minors, to force them to produce sexually exploitative content and distributed it to earn criminal profits worth hundreds of millions of won.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced on the 20th that they have arrested 20-year-old Jo Mo, the operator of the 'Baksa Room,' on charges including violation of the Child and Youth Sexual Protection Act, and have apprehended 13 accomplices who are under investigation. Four of the accomplices are currently in custody.

According to the police, the Telegram chat rooms sharing sexually exploitative materials originated with the so-called 'N Room,' after which several other chat rooms were created. In September last year, Jo changed his existing Telegram account name from 'Baksa Jang' to 'Baksa,' and the Telegram chat room he operated began to be known as the 'Baksa Room.'

Jo posted messages such as 'Recruiting sponsor part-time jobs' on social networking services (SNS) and chat applications to find targets for sexual exploitation. He received nude photos showing faces and used them as leverage to threaten victims into producing sexually exploitative materials, which he then distributed in the Baksa Room. The police have confirmed 74 victims so far and seized approximately 130 million won in cash from Jo's residence.

The operation of the 'Baksa Room' was conducted strictly online. Jo referred to members who actively supported the chat room as 'staff' and assigned them roles such as sexually assaulting victims, money laundering, distributing sexually exploitative materials, and managing the chat room. He also verified the identities of the female victims and paid members of the 'Baksa Room,' using this information as a means of coercion and threats, while directing the crimes solely through Telegram to avoid exposure and never contacting accomplices directly. According to the police, none of the 13 apprehended accomplices had ever seen Jo or knew his identity.

Furthermore, it was revealed that Jo accepted money as an entrance fee to the 'Baksa Room' without granting access, and engaged in fraudulent activities by luring victims with offers of firearms and drugs. The police believe Jo ran a three-tier paid chat room system, including a 'preview' chat room where anyone could watch videos and paid chat rooms accessible by paying a certain amount of virtual currency, through which he conducted these scams. It is also reported that he referred to the female victims as 'slaves.'

The police began investigating the 'Baksa Room' after it surfaced in September last year, employing all investigative techniques including search and seizure, closed-circuit television (CCTV) analysis, international cooperation investigations, and virtual currency tracking to identify Jo. Although Jo initially denied the crimes and caused a self-harm incident, he has since confessed to all charges, admitting that he is indeed the 'Baksa.'

The police are expanding the investigation to identify additional crimes committed by Jo and to include accomplices. They are tracking members who distributed or possessed sexually exploitative materials from the 'Baksa Room,' secured original video files held by Jo, and have disposed of them. A task force for tracking criminal proceeds has been deployed to trace Jo's illicit earnings, and the police plan to actively pursue asset seizure before prosecution and notify the National Tax Service to recover criminal proceeds.

A police official stated, "We will do our best to completely eradicate 'digital sex crimes' by studying tracking techniques within virtual currencies and Telegram," adding, "Since most advertisements proposing abnormal earnings such as high payments and sponsor part-time jobs are likely linked to similar crimes as in this case, special caution is required."

Meanwhile, a Blue House petition demanding the disclosure of Jo's identity has surpassed 200,000 participants today, prompting an official response from the Blue House. The police are expected to decide on the disclosure of Jo's identity next week.

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