'Kochan,' a Hotbed of Cybercrime on the Dark Web
Creating Kochan Shelters for Pornography and Drug Transactions
Domestic Users of the Dark Web Continue to Increase
If Alternative Kochan Sites Multiply, Crime Eradication May Become Difficult
Police: "We Will Strictly Respond to Crimes on the Dark Web"
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] On the dark web, an encrypted network accessible only through specific browsers, the largest Korean community site 'Co-chan' is identified as a hotbed of various illegal activities. However, due to the high level of anonymity attracting many users and the surveillance by investigative agencies, a shelter site has even been created for use in case access to Co-chan becomes impossible, where it has been confirmed that sexual exploitation materials and drug transactions also take place.
On the 30th, on the dark web site 'XX-chan', posts selling various obscene materials including the Nth Room sexual exploitation content are continuously appearing. Posts selling child and adolescent pornography were easily found, and the types, prices, and transaction methods of drugs were also posted. Similar to Co-chan, various obscene materials are distributed here, with users holding reviews of these materials or asking about ways to obtain more stimulating obscene content.
This place was originally a community used by foreigners accessing the dark web, but since the 10th of last month, there has been an influx of domestic users and it is presumed to have been used as a shelter. Among actual posts, a message stating 'If the Co-chan server is temporarily or permanently down and access is not possible, communication can be done here' was found. Users shared one or two other community addresses besides this site, using them as shelters. All were prepared for cases when access to Co-chan is unavailable, and their usage involved the same activities such as trading obscene materials and drugs.
According to the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA), the number of domestic users accessing the dark web is steadily increasing. As of last year, it is estimated that an average of 15,000 people use the dark web daily, which is about three times more than in 2016. As the number of dark web users increases, the number of visitors to the representative community Co-chan also rises accordingly. In this situation, if criminal communities that can replace Co-chan emerge rapidly, the scope of investigations will expand, making it more difficult to eradicate cyber illegal activities. A police agency official explained, "Although the dark web is known to be untraceable, there have been cases of arrests for illegal activities," adding, "If illegal activities are detected on sites within the dark web such as Co-chan, we will respond strictly."
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