Opening of 10 Nationwide Telegram Rooms
Estimated Total Membership Over 20,000
Deepfake Production Targeting Middle and High School Students
Movement to Delete Personal Photos on SNS
A so-called 'Gyeopjiin' Telegram chatroom, where deepfake pornographic materials are commissioned and distributed using photos of acquaintances, has been established nationwide by region, and it has been confirmed that a large number of minors have been victimized. Currently, more than 200 middle and high schools have been listed on the victim report channel opened on the social networking service X (formerly Twitter).
On the 27th, according to Asia Economy's investigation, it was confirmed that there are 10 'Gyeopjiin rooms' established on Telegram by regional units nationwide. The number of Telegram members active in these rooms is 8,397, and when including the 'nationwide room' where members from all over the country participate and the 'university rooms' established by university, the total number of members increases to about 20,000.
This is the number confirmed so far, and considering that numerous subordinate rooms by middle and high schools and district/neighborhood units have been established under each regional room, the actual number of people involved in the crime is expected to be higher. Since most Telegram rooms were closed following recent media reports, it is difficult to estimate the exact scale of the damage and the number of participating members.
Members belonging to the Gyeopjiin rooms commissioned and distributed deepfake productions targeting acquaintances. First, they posted personal information of a specific woman in their regional room to check if there were overlapping acquaintances. Then, when a member who claimed to know the woman appeared, they created deepfake photos by synthesizing the acquaintance’s photos posted on SNS with pornographic materials. They also exchanged the produced materials with other members.
Members requesting addresses of overlapping private chat rooms from all over the country in the so-called 'Linggongbang,' which was created for the purpose of sharing entry links to Telegram chat rooms. [Image source=Telegram]
The produced deepfake pornographic materials were secondarily distributed in so-called 'Acquaintance Humiliation Rooms' and 'Acquaintance Preservation Rooms.' They exploited Telegram’s freedom to create and close chatrooms to establish dozens of subordinate rooms within the regional rooms. Additionally, to facilitate moving between different regional rooms, they created so-called 'Link Sharing Rooms' that shared entry links to the Gyeopjiin rooms. It was confirmed that the Link Sharing Room had nearly 8,000 members until just before its closure.
The number of middle and high school students victimized by this crime is estimated to be in the hundreds. As of the 26th, 222 elementary, middle, and high schools were listed on the victim report account opened on SNS X, based on the schools mentioned during the disclosure of victims’ personal information. This includes 160 high schools, 61 middle schools, and 1 elementary school, and the victim list continues to grow.
Following the revelation of the existence of the Gyeopjiin rooms, there has even been a movement on SNS to delete personal photos posted online. In fact, on the same day, an official SNS account of a high school located in Gyeonggi-do posted a notice stating, "Deepfake composite photos are being distributed targeting our students," and advised, "Remove personal photos uploaded on Instagram to prevent damage."
Experts explained that producing and possessing deepfake pornographic materials targeting middle and high school students can lead to legal punishment. Seo Hye-jin, representative lawyer of The Lighthouse Law Office and human rights director of the Korean Women Lawyers Association, said, "Under current law, producing deepfakes targeting adults may be difficult to punish if the intent to distribute is not proven. However, deepfake production involving minors is highly likely to be subject to charges of producing child and youth sexual exploitation materials."
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