Telegram aids in catching sex crime ring

[Anchor]

A group that committed sexual crimes, including the production of sexual exploitation materials using Telegram, has been caught by the police.

There are over 230 victims.

For the first time, the police received investigative cooperation from Telegram and successfully apprehended the mastermind.

This is a report by reporter Yeo So-yeon.

[Report]

A man is arrested inside an elevator.

He is A, the mastermind of a sexual exploitation crime group that the police have been tracking for over a year.

["He is charged with the production and distribution of sexual exploitation materials."]

Since 2020, A approached men interested in deepfake sexual crimes.

He obtained personal information through Telegram and threatened to distribute it, recruiting them as members.

In this way, he created a pyramid organization called the 'self-defense group' and referred to himself as 'pastor.'

He established a command structure divided into four ranks, promoting members who committed crimes such as the production of sexual exploitation materials.

Victims who were compromised by A reported every hour and frequently wrote letters of reflection.

He coerced them into sexual exploitation acts such as self-harm or nude photography, threatening punishment for non-compliance.

A is also accused of raping 10 teenage girls.

The crimes of the 'self-defense group' continued for over four years until January of this year.

There were a staggering 234 victims, 64% of whom were women.

Among all victims, 159 were teenagers.

A was confident that he would never be caught as he only used Telegram, but the police successfully apprehended him with the cooperation of Telegram.

This is the first time Telegram has provided criminal data to law enforcement agencies in our country.

[Oh Gyu-sik/Head of Cyber Investigation Division 2, Seoul Police Agency: "Telegram stated in a meeting with the National Police Agency that it would actively cooperate with investigations in compliance with South Korean laws and policies."]

The police have arrested 54 individuals involved in the crimes and detained two, including A.

This is KBS News, Yeo So-yeon.