Police Arrest 223 and Detain 32 in Digital Sex Crimes Including 'Telegram N번방' (Comprehensive)

20s Perpetrators Number 103, Teens 65
Most Sexual Exploitation Victims Are Women in Their Teens and 20s
Civil Groups Active... 114 Reports on Discord Channels

Telegram 'Vigilante Group' Causing Secondary Harm Through Personal Info Disclosure
Designated as Responsible Investigator for Probe

Jo Joo-bin, the operator of the 'Doctor's Room' who threatened dozens of women including minors on the internet messenger Telegram and forced them to film obscene materials which were then distributed, is coming out of Jongno Police Station in Seoul on the morning of the 25th to be sent to the prosecution. / Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] The police have arrested an additional 80 people on charges of producing and distributing sexual exploitation materials on Telegram and other digital sex crimes.

As of the 9th, the National Police Agency announced that a total of 223 people related to digital sex crimes have been arrested, with 32 of them detained. This is an increase of 83 arrests within a week from 140 people (23 detained) as of the 2nd.

The age group of suspects was highest among those in their 20s with 103 people, followed by 65 teenagers. Additionally, 43 were in their 30s, 4 in their 40s, and 6 aged 50 or older. Their heinous sexual exploitation crimes were mainly committed against teenage and women in their 20s.

Among them, Jo Joo-bin (24, detained), the operator of the Telegram Nth Room, and 56 other operators who produced and distributed sexual exploitation materials were arrested, along with 64 people charged with distributing such materials. A total of 100 people were caught possessing sexual exploitation materials. In particular, police are investigating 117 cases of illegal recordings, including photo manipulations and hidden bathroom cameras, known as so-called 'Jiin Neungyok' (defamation of acquaintances). The police plan to decide whether to disclose the identities of these digital sex offenders, excluding minors, considering the severity of their crimes.

Civil society groups played a significant role in these police arrests. One civic group reported 114 Discord channels distributing child sexual exploitation materials, leading to the arrest of 10 people, including 3 channel operators and 7 sellers. Five Discord channels were shut down. The seized child sexual exploitation materials amounted to 15,600 items (225GB). Another civic group helped by reporting suspects distributing child sexual exploitation materials via social networking services (SNS), aiding in the arrest and detention of suspects who sold 2,608 obscene materials to 20 people.

So far, the police have forwarded 34 out of 274 digital sex crime cases to the prosecution and continue investigations into the Telegram Doctor’s Room and Project Nth Room. They are also focusing on capturing 'GodGod,' considered the originator of the Nth Room on Telegram. Additionally, the police have designated responsible investigative offices to conduct full-scale investigations into the so-called 'vigilante groups' that have been publicly revealing the identities of sexual exploitation perpetrators on Telegram.