58 Arrested in One Month Since Introduction of Undercover Operations for Digital Sexual Crimes Against Children and Adolescents

32 Cases of Identity Disclosure and 3 Cases of Identity Concealment Implemented
Dedicated Department to Be Established at National Police Agency by Year-End

National Police Agency, National Investigation Headquarters.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] It has been revealed that 58 suspects were arrested within one month of the police introducing 'undercover investigations' to respond to digital sex crimes against children and adolescents.

The National Police Agency announced on the 27th that since the full-scale introduction of undercover investigations on the 24th of last month, 58 suspects have been arrested through 35 undercover operations as of the 26th of this month.

The police's undercover investigations are broadly divided into 'identity non-disclosure investigations,' which require prior approval from the head of the investigative department of a higher police agency, and 'identity disguise investigations,' which require court approval. Identity non-disclosure investigations involve approaching criminals without revealing the police officer's identity to collect evidence and materials, while identity disguise investigations involve police officers preparing or executing documents or conducting contracts and transactions under a disguised identity.

A total of 38 identity non-disclosure investigations were requested, with 32 approved and 6 disapproved due to reasons such as duplicate investigations or insufficient evidence of the target crime. Four identity disguise investigations were requested, with 3 receiving court approval and 1 not requested by the prosecutor, currently under supplementary investigation consultation.

Regarding the types of crimes targeted by the undercover investigations, identity non-disclosure investigations mostly involved 26 cases of selling and distributing sexually exploitative materials, 5 cases of producing sexually exploitative materials, and 1 case of conversations for sexual exploitation purposes. Identity disguise investigations included one case each of producing sexually exploitative materials, possessing/viewing sexually exploitative materials, and conversations for sexual exploitation purposes.

The National Investigation Headquarters (NIH) of the National Police Agency held a 'Digital Sex Crime Undercover Investigation Review Video Conference' attended by cyber investigation unit chiefs from police agencies nationwide to mark one month since the implementation of undercover investigations. The meeting discussed undercover investigation techniques discovered by each investigation team, precautions for victim protection during undercover operations, and support from higher investigative departments.

A specialized department to handle undercover investigation tasks within the NIH will also be established within this year. The Cyber Sexual Violence Investigation Division, to be newly created within the Cyber Crime Investigation Department of the NIH's Cyber Investigation Bureau, will be responsible for ▲ approving identity non-disclosure investigations ▲ reviewing the appropriateness of applications for identity disguise investigations ▲ guiding, commanding, and supporting undercover investigations ▲ rescuing and protecting victims.