On April 13, South Korea’s Northern Gyeonggi Police Agency announced that 23 individuals operating private Telegram chatrooms were arrested for violating the Child and Youth Sexual Protection Act and the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes. The scandal has deeply shaken the public, especially due to its connection to the entertainment industry.
It was once reported that over 200 male K-pop idols were involved in this sex-crime chatroom, with speculation fueled by former NCT member Taeil being under investigation for related offenses. However, authorities later clarified that there is no verified evidence linking such a large number of idols to the case.
In reality, the group consisted of just over 70 civilians. So far, thirteen individuals have been officially charged and detained, while an additional 60 male participants have also been arrested. The group is accused of producing over 1,100 deepfake pornographic videos, including about 30 that impersonated female K-pop idols and celebrities.
This shocking case emerged amid growing concerns, as more than 10,000 victims have come forward. AI-powered sexual crimes are becoming increasingly sophisticated, with both perpetrators and victims often being minors.
AI Deepfake Pornography: Women’s Nightmare
According to the South China Morning Post, Korea is grappling with AI technology abuse, particularly in the creation of deepfake pornographic content. Just last week, a 28-year-old was sentenced to five years in prison for producing explicit deepfakes using images of women, including a former student of Seoul National University.
Four male suspects in another case created and distributed at least 400 fake videos using photos of female university students. The court condemned the acts as “indescribably degrading” to the victims.
Following the Seoul National University incident, the issue gained national attention as victims pleaded for help after their graduation and publicly posted photos were used to generate fake porn. Telegram has become a hub for distributing such content, with some AI porn channels amassing over 20,000 subscribers.
In a cabinet meeting, the President of South Korea condemned deepfake pornography, emphasizing that it is a serious crime hidden behind anonymity, not a joke. He stressed that many victims are minors and that most offenders are teens and young adults. He called on police to eliminate these crimes, and the National Police Agency vowed to strengthen crackdowns.
Rise in Digital Sex Crimes: Focus on Telegram
According to The Korea Times, reported deepfake-related sex crimes doubled in the first half of 2024, reaching 297 cases twice the total for 2021. Over 70% of suspects were teenagers, highlighting how easy AI tools have made it to create such content. In January, Seoul authorities busted one of the country’s largest digital sex crime rings on Telegram.
Records revealed that a 24-year-old recent graduate and 14 accomplices targeted female students at their own university, creating fake porn videos of 234 victims over four years using deepfake technology.
Teenage Victims and Offenders: A Growing Crisis
Reports show that digital sex crimes involving deepfakes tripled in 2024 due to AI’s rapid development and accessibility. According to data from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and the Korean Women’s Human Rights Institute, 92.6% of victims were teenagers. The Digital Sex Crime Victim Support Center received 1,384 reports of manipulated images and pornographic content in 2023—a number that surged to over 10,305 in 2024.
Park Sung-hye, head of the center’s takedown team, highlighted an alarming trend: children under 10 are now both victims and offenders, misusing AI-generated deepfake content for fun. Some used photos of classmates or even teachers.
Park Sung-hye noted that as tech-savvy youth gain access to AI tools, the sophistication of the fakes continues to grow. In 2024 alone, the center facilitated the removal of over 300,000 illegal contents, with adult content websites accounting for 43% of takedowns.
Telegram has been labeled an “online haven” for cybercriminals due to its features that facilitate illicit activities. The platform’s vast user base, end-to-end encryption, and privacy-focused policies make it attractive for criminals engaging in drug trafficking, child exploitation, and fraud. For example, in the recent scandal involving Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Sae-ron, Garo Sero Institute alleged that actor Kim Soo-hyun instructed the late actress Kim Sae-ron to switch from KakaoTalk to Telegram using a new phone, suggesting an attempt to conceal their communications.
Telegram, long associated with the spread of such materials, has since established a direct hotline with Korea’s media regulators and law enforcement as the platform faces investigations over its role in aiding the distribution of deepfake pornography.
The recent Telegram deepfake case draws chilling parallels to South Korea’s infamous Nth Room scandal, where women and minors were coerced into sharing explicit content in secret chatrooms. While the Nth Room relied on blackmail, today’s AI-driven crimes fabricate consent through deepfakes, targeting victims without their knowledge. This shift highlights a dangerous evolution in digital sex crimes, proving that while the methods change, the exploitation remains alarmingly persistent.