The identity of Kim Nok-wan (33), the ringleader of the largest scale Telegram sexual exploitation group known as "Pastor Room," has been revealed.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency publicly disclosed the name, age, and photo of Kim, the ringleader facing 19 charges under the Youth Protection Act, including rape, on the agency's website on the 8th. The disclosure will remain until the 10th of next month.
Kim is accused of creating a pyramid-style cyber sexual violence crime group known as "Self-Defense Group" from May 2020 to January of this year and committing sadistic sexual exploitation against 234 victims over a five-year period.
The number of minors among the victims reaches 159. The total number of victims exceeds three times that of the 73 victims involved in the "Doctor Room" incident, where Jo Joo-bin (29) produced and distributed sexual exploitation materials involving children and adolescents in 2019-2020.
With the cooperation of Telegram, police arrested 14 members of the Self-Defense Group, including ringleader Kim Nok-wan, and transferred Kim to the Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office for custody on the 24th of last month.