Police Arrest 418 Suspects for Cyber Sexual Violence... Ringleader of "Chamgyoyukdan" Detained

As cyber sexual exploitation using social networking services (SNS) and artificial intelligence (AI) continues unabated, the police have arrested 418 suspects for cyber sexual violence over the past year.

The Cyber Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced on November 7 that, as a result of the "2025 Cyber Sexual Violence Intensive Crackdown" conducted by the National Police Agency from November of last year to October of this year, they arrested 418 suspects for cyber sexual violence and detained 28 of them.

By type of offense, the largest number of arrests involved child and youth sexual exploitation materials, with 148 suspects, followed by illegal recordings with 107 suspects. There were 99 cases involving fake videos and 64 cases involving other illegal sexual videos. The police explained, "Recently, there has been an increase in cyber sexual violence crimes linked to stalking, and the production of fake videos using AI continues to occur."

In particular, on October 23, the police arrested and detained Mr. A (21), the ringleader of the cyber crime group "Chamgyoyukdan," which systematically threatened and exploited 342 victims. Since July 2020, Chamgyoyukdan had operated on Telegram with a three-division structure: "Investigation Bureau," "Information Bureau," and "Administrative Bureau." The group posted advertisements on SNS offering to create "deepfake humiliation photos of acquaintances," lured victims, and then used these materials to blackmail them, demanding written confessions, daily reports, and letters of reflection.

Additionally, from August 2022 to October 2023, the police apprehended a suspect who received nude photos and videos from more than 20 child and youth victims in exchange for money, then distributed, sold, and used these materials for blackmail. Another suspect was arrested for producing 276 pieces of child and youth sexual exploitation material by receiving explicit photos or secretly filming sexual acts of 12 underage girls contacted through a chat app from August last year to February this year.

The police are also working with related organizations such as the Seoul Digital Sexual Crime Victim Support Center and the Central Digital Sexual Crime Victim Support Center to provide psychological and legal support, as well as assistance with content removal, for victims of sexual exploitation.

A police official stated, "Cyber sexual violence is a social and personal act of murder that destroys lives," adding, "Although it may appear to be committed out of curiosity without a sense of guilt due to advances in technology such as AI, we will thoroughly track and respond strictly to all acts of producing, distributing, and possessing sexual exploitation materials."