Seoul National University Version of 'n번방' Spreads to Law School

Two Male Seoul National University Graduates Arrested
Main Perpetrator Includes Law School Graduate
Crimes Committed Targeting Female Juniors
Over 1,800 Sexually Exploitative Videos Produced

Two men in their 30s, graduates of Seoul National University (SNU), were arrested for producing and distributing obscene materials by synthesizing photos of dozens of women, including junior female students from the university. One of them is known to be a graduate of SNU Law School, prompting calls to ban him from taking the bar exam.

Photo to aid understanding of the article content. Photo by Yonhap News

On the 22nd, the Cyber Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced that they had handed over three men in their 20s to 50s, including Kang (31), a graduate of SNU Law School, to the prosecution for crimes committed against a total of 61 women (including 12 SNU alumni). They are accused of producing and distributing sexually exploitative materials by synthesizing photos of university alumni and acquaintances into obscene content in secret Telegram chat rooms from July 2021 to April this year (charges include editing and distributing false videos under the Sexual Violence Punishment Act). Park and Kang mainly targeted female juniors at SNU, with Park producing and distributing a total of 1,852 synthesized photos and videos. Most of the videos distributed by Park were found to have been produced by Kang, and among the synthesized materials distributed by Park were sexually exploitative materials involving minors.

Park and Kang were strangers to each other but were revealed to be SNU alumni during the investigation. They met through keywords such as "SNU students" on social networking services (SNS) like Telegram and committed the crimes. The use of Telegram, which is difficult to trace, draws comparisons to the "Nth Room case," where sexual exploitation videos were filmed, distributed, and used for blackmail. They individually sent "links" to people with perverse sexual preferences, inviting them to secret Telegram chat rooms to continue their crimes. Park created about 200 Telegram group chats, with up to 50 participants in some rooms.

Seoul National University Entrance View.
Photo by Getty Images

Park had been preparing for civil service exams and various certification tests since his university days but repeatedly failed. Kang also failed to pass the bar exam after graduating from law school. Neither had a specific job after graduation, and both were unmarried. On the 3rd of last month, the police arrested the ringleader Park. During the investigation, it was discovered that Kang was an accomplice. Kang provided Park with personal information and photos of SNU Law School classmates. These photos were uploaded to an internal server by an album production company, making it easy to identify them since only law school graduates of that year could have obtained them. Subsequently, on the 8th, the police arrested Kang at his residence.

Besides Park and Kang, among three others who produced and distributed illegal synthesized materials targeting acquaintances, C (in his 20s) alone produced and distributed a total of 2,101 videos involving 17 acquaintances. Additionally, they continued their crimes over four years by exchanging illegal synthesized materials of female acquaintances for those of other acquaintances. They enhanced their bond by filming additional obscene acts over the illegal synthesized materials they created, sending these directly to victims and humiliating them through phone calls.

A police official stated, "The ringleaders, including Park, did not gain any profit from the illegal synthesized materials," adding, "Their motive was not financial gain but sexual desire fulfillment." The decisive factor in their arrest was the group "Chujokdan Bulkkot" (Tracking Team Blaze), which first exposed the "Nth Room" case five years ago. Having pursued Park for over two years, "Chujokdan Bulkkot" deceived him by pretending to be a male SNU alumnus to arrange a meeting and assisted the police in arresting Park on-site.

Seoul National University has strengthened digital sex crime prevention education and formed a task force (TF) to protect victims and devise measures to prevent recurrence. An SNU official said, "This is to reinforce our response under the awareness that digital sex crimes can be a problem not only for our university but for everyone," adding, "We are considering involving students in the TF based on consultations with the student council."