“Vigilante Group” leader disclosed

[Anchor]

A person identified as the leader of a cyber sexual violence crime group, calling themselves a vigilante group on Telegram, has been arrested on charges of committing various sexual exploitation crimes.

Despite having no connection to any specific religion, the leader referred to himself as a pastor and called his subordinates deacons, creating a pyramid-shaped organization, as revealed by police investigations.

He is accused of directing the production of sexual exploitation materials and seeking new victims, operating in a way that promoted individuals to higher ranks for compliance.

There are over 200 victims.

The identity of this vigilante group leader was disclosed today (Feb. 8).

Reporter Shin Hyun-wook has the details.

[Report]

The police revealed the identity of the leader of the cyber sexual violence crime organization "The Vigilantes" to be 33-year-old Kim Nok-wan.

Kim, who referred to himself as a 'pastor,' is accused of operating the "The Vigilantes" on Telegram from 2020 until January of this year, committing various sexual exploitation crimes.

Kim allegedly obtained personal information of individuals who showed interest in illegal videos or exhibited sexual curiosity, using this information to blackmail them.

He reportedly forced them to submit daily reports every hour or write letters of reflection, and if they did not comply, he subjected them to sexual abuse.

[Oh Gyu-sik/Head of Cyber Investigation Division 2, Seoul Police Agency/Jan. 23: "After securing personal information, he would suddenly threaten them, saying 'I will distribute this' or 'I will report you to the police,' starting psychological domination."]

The number of victims is three times that of the so-called 'Nth Room Case' in 2020, with nearly 70% of the victims being minors.

[Kim Nok-wan/Defendant/Jan. 24: "(Aren't you sorry to the victims?) …."]

Previously, the Seoul Police Agency decided to disclose Kim's identity considering the brutality of the crimes and public interest.

Kim requested the court to prevent the police from disclosing his identity, but the court did not accept this, leading to the public disclosure of Kim's face, age, and other details today.

Kim's personal information is scheduled to be available on the Seoul Police Agency's website for about a month until the 10th of next month.

This is KBS News Shin Hyun-wook.