Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — Seoul’s Metropolitan Police Agency, South Korea has dismantled a massive deepfake pornography network operating on Telegram, which exploited more than 234 individuals, including 159 minors, since 2020. Authorities have described the case as one of the largest digital sex crimes in South Korea’s history.
The Cyber Crime Investigation Unit arrested 14 individuals tied to the operation, including a 33-year-old man accused of founding the network and leading its illicit activities across hundreds of encrypted Telegram chatrooms.
“Fourteen individuals, including the group’s leader, known by the alias ‘Pastor,’ were arrested on January 14,” said Oh Kyu Shik, a senior official at Seoul’s Metropolitan Police Agency, as reported by The Straits Times on Thursday (January 23).
Expansive Network
Investigators have identified 73 additional individuals connected to the case. These suspects reportedly created fake pornographic content using deepfake technology, often targeting acquaintances. Among them, 40 individuals are currently under criminal investigation, while one has been formally detained. The remaining suspects are still at large.
The network’s victims, spanning the past four years, include 159 minors with 57 boys and 102 girls. Authorities revealed that 10 teenage victims were subjected to rape, filmed, and further victimized through other forms of abuse by the network’s leader.
“Unlike most sex crimes that target specific age or gender groups, this network’s crimes involved random victims from various backgrounds,” police stated.
The group allegedly approached their victims via Telegram, obtained their personal information, and used threats of public exposure to coerce compliance.
Deepfake and Telegram
This case follows a string of alarming deepfake crimes in South Korea. Last year, a deepfake case shook South Korea, driving many women to delete their profile photos from social media platforms out of fear of exploitation.
The incident involved the use of Telegram, a widely used messaging platform, to create and distribute deepfake videos in encrypted chatrooms
One Telegram channel reportedly had over 220,000 members and utilized software capable of instantly transforming photos into explicit images. Members were encouraged to share photos of individuals they knew, further amplifying the harm.
Read also : Deepfake Content Spread Across South Korea, Forcing Women to Delete Photos on Social Media
Experts have linked these crimes to a combination of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technology and the anonymity offered by Telegram, which is particularly popular among younger users in South Korea.
Bae Sang-hoon, a professor of police administration at Woosuk University, explained that perpetrators of such crimes are often driven by low self-esteem, a desire for entertainment, or the need to harass or seek revenge against individuals they cannot confront directly.
“The integration of AI and platforms like Telegram has led to devastating consequences across the country, with a disproportionately high impact on younger generations,” Bae added.
A Call to Action
As the investigation continues, authorities have vowed to hold all perpetrators accountable and work toward stronger digital safeguards to prevent further exploitation. South Korea’s deepfake pornography scandals have ignited national debates about the need for stricter regulations on AI misuse and the protection of vulnerable populations in the digital age.
(Raidi/Agung)
