All 24 Apprehended Buyers Are in Their Teens and Twenties
Teenagers who sold deepfake sexual exploitation materials of celebrities through Telegram have been arrested by the police.
According to Yonhap News on the 19th, "The Cyber Investigation Division of the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency arrested two individuals, including Mr. A, on charges of violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse and the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Crimes, and booked one person without detention." According to Yonhap News, Mr. A and others are suspected of opening channels called 'Hapsabang' (Composite Photo Room) on Telegram from November last year to July this year, selling deepfake sexual exploitation materials depicting celebrities engaging in sexual acts to an unspecified number of people. The number of celebrities harmed by the videos or photos sold by them is said to be around 20, including minors.
The police identified the distribution of deepfake sexual exploitation materials during cyber monitoring in April and arrested Mr. A and others after investigation. Mr. A and the others are known to be university students or adults without specific occupations. Additionally, 24 people who purchased deepfake sexual exploitation materials from them were arrested and booked on charges of violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse. All the arrested buyers are in their teens or twenties.
The police have identified and are tracking an additional 80 buyers. The number of buyers may increase depending on the investigation results. It was found that buyers transferred an entrance fee of 20,000 to 40,000 KRW to Mr. A and others, then entered the Telegram rooms to download or watch the deepfake sexual exploitation materials. The Telegram channels operated by Mr. A and others were closed after the police began their investigation.
Mr. A and others stated that they downloaded deepfake sexual exploitation materials of Korean celebrities from other overseas Telegram channels and resold them. Based on their statements and investigation details, the police presume that Mr. A and others did not directly produce the deepfake sexual exploitation materials.
A police official said, "There is no evidence so far that the deepfake sexual exploitation materials sold and purchased by the suspects were redistributed," adding, "According to relevant laws, those who purchase, possess, or watch child and juvenile sexual exploitation materials face imprisonment of at least one year."
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