The prosecution has arrested and indicted Kim Nok-wan (33) on charges of sexually exploiting 234 people by organizing a Telegram crime group called 'self-defense group.' Kim Nok-wan is reported to have been leading crimes such as the production and distribution of sexual exploitation material while bestowing himself the title of pastor within the group and referring to the members as evangelists and prospective evangelists.
On the 12th, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office's self-defense group special investigation team (Head of Team Kim Ji-hye, head of the Women's and Children's Crime Investigation Division 1) announced that they had arrested and indicted the group's mastermind, Kim Nok-wan, on charges of statutory rape, rape, production and possession of sexual exploitation and illegal filming materials, and extortion.
Kim Nok-wan is accused of committing crimes such as producing or distributing sexual exploitation materials against 234 people, including minors, from May 2020 to January of this year. The number of victims in this case exceeds three times the 73 victims of the so-called Telegram 'Doctor's Room' case, in which Jo Joo-bin (29) produced and distributed sexual exploitation materials involving minors from 2019 to 2020.
According to the prosecution, Kim Nok-wan is reported to have colluded with accomplices he met on Telegram to obtain personal information by blackmailing individuals who had posted obscene photos on social media or who had requested the production of false videos about acquaintances. After obtaining nude photos or videos from the victims, he is said to have blackmailed them again to commit rape or force them into sexual relations with others, ultimately producing sexual exploitation materials featuring the victims. He is also suspected of laundering funds by extorting money from some victims and converting it into Google gift codes to cash out.
The investigation into this case began in December 2023 when a report was filed by one victim at the Seoul Guro Police Station. The police identified Kim Nok-wan through cooperation with Telegram, marking the first time such collaboration was used in Korea, and arrested him on the 15th of last month. Considering the seriousness of the matter, the police disclosed Kim Nok-wan's identity on the 8th.
The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office noted, "To respond rigorously to the rapidly increasing digital sex crimes such as deepfakes, we will expand the number of dedicated prosecutors from four to eight," and stated, "We will collaborate with the police to thoroughly track down and punish all self-defense group cases scattered across the country."