[Exclusive] 20-Year-Old Sentenced to Prison for Producing Youth Sexual Exploitation Material Using Nth Room Methods

A man in his 20s, identified as A, who produced sexual exploitation materials targeting teenagers in a manner similar to the Nth Room case, has been arrested by the police.

The Jinhae Police Station in Gyeongnam arrested A on the 4th on charges of producing child and adolescent sexual exploitation materials (violation of the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles Against Sexual Abuse).

According to the police, A, who resides in Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk, is suspected of possessing sexual exploitation materials, including dozens of videos and photos, produced from 2022 until February of this year, targeting seven 14-year-old teenagers and women in their 20s.

The police seized A’s smartphone and laptop and conducted a digital forensic investigation, which revealed that A approached minors and women through chat, built relationships, then extracted personal information and threatened to “reveal their identities,” coercing them into filming sexual exploitation materials.

A used tactics similar to those in the “Nth Room sexual exploitation production and distribution case,” impersonating police and public institution accounts to send messages such as “Your photos have been stolen,” causing victims anxiety, and then obtaining their phone numbers, emails, and SNS accounts.

The police are investigating additional victims and whether A has any connections with suspects in the Nth Room case, examining the links between the crimes.