Social Service Worker in His 20s Arrested for Selling Child Sexual Exploitation Material via Overseas Messenger 'Wickr'

High-Security Messengers with Encryption and Auto-Delete Features
Virtual Currency Used for Sale of Exploitation Videos and Photos
Crackdown Expands to Overseas Secure Messengers After Telegram and Discord
Intensive Monitoring of 41 Dark Web Sites

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy, reporter Lee Gwanju] Amid a large-scale police investigation into digital sex crimes such as the Telegram 'Nth Room' case, a man in his 20s has been arrested for selling child sexual exploitation material using the overseas messenger app 'Wickr.' This is the first time someone has been caught distributing such material through Wickr.

The Cyber Safety Bureau of the National Police Agency announced on April 23, 2020, that it had arrested and planned to refer to prosecution a 23-year-old social service agent, identified as A, on charges including violating the Information and Communications Network Act. He is accused of selling child and youth sexual exploitation material using dark web sites and overseas secure messengers.

According to the police, from March 30, 2020, for about two weeks, A posted advertisements for sexual exploitation material on a dark web site, communicated with interested buyers via Telegram and Wickr, received virtual currency, and sold videos and photos of child and youth sexual exploitation. The material in question was reportedly produced and posted in the Telegram 'Nth Room.' However, police clarified that there was no connection between A and the Nth Room operators, and that A had not leaked any personal information during his social service duties.

The police are expanding their investigation to include those who purchased child and youth sexual exploitation material from A, and are also securing data from global IT companies and virtual currency exchanges.

Previously, the operator of the Telegram 'Doctor's Room,' Cho Joo-bin (24, detained), along with other operators and participants, had been apprehended. Additionally, ten individuals who used the overseas messenger app 'Discord,' mainly used for online gaming, as a distribution channel for sexual exploitation material, were caught by police.

Wickr, which has also been cited as a distribution channel for sexual exploitation material, is a messenger program developed in the United States. It is known for its high level of security due to its message auto-delete function and encryption, but concerns have been raised that it is being misused for illegal activities.

With the recent arrest of a Wickr user following Telegram and Discord, the police investigation into digital sex crimes is expected to gain further momentum. Since the Telegram Nth Room case, police have been monitoring trends of sexual exploitation material distributors moving to the dark web or other overseas messengers, and have strengthened their monitoring. In particular, the National Police Agency has established a technical support team within its 'Special Investigation Headquarters for Digital Sex Crimes' to develop evidence-gathering and tracking techniques, supporting on-site crackdowns on digital sex crimes.

In addition, the police are intensively monitoring 41 dark web sites and conducting thorough investigations. A police official emphasized, "It has been confirmed that dark web sites and overseas secure messengers are not 'safe havens' from police investigations. We will mobilize all available resources, including the development of investigative techniques and expanded international cooperation, to apprehend not only producers and distributors of sexual exploitation material, but also those who assist or abet these crimes."