As a result of a joint special crackdown by seven Asian countries targeting crimes using information and communications networks, such as producing, distributing, and possessing child sexual exploitation material, 225 suspects were arrested in Korea alone. More than half were teenagers.
The National Office of Investigation (NOI) of the Korean National Police Agency announced the results of the special crackdown (operation name Cyber Guardians) on the 27th. The special operation was carried out for four weeks from Mar. 23 to Apr. 17 in cooperation with police from seven countries, including Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand, and Brunei.
A total of 445 people were arrested across the seven countries. Of these, Korean police arrested 225 people (51%) and detained 19.
Among the suspects arrested in Korea, teenagers were the most at 132 (58.7%). They were followed by ▲ those in their 20s, 69 (30.7%) ▲ those in their 30s, 19 (8.4%) ▲ those in their 40s, 5 (2.2%). Police said crimes by those in their teens and 20s, who are familiar with digital media, stand out, and peer-group crimes in which both offenders and victims are adolescents are also intensifying.
During the crackdown, police seized storage media to secure original data and focused on blocking further distribution. Cases distributed online were referred to the Korea Communications Standards Commission for deletion and blocking.
The Korean National Police Agency plans to continue the "crackdown on cyber sexual violence crimes" through the end of Oct., responding to the distribution of child and youth sexual exploitation material and illegal recordings, as well as acts of purchasing, possessing, and viewing false videos.
Park Woo-hyun, review officer for cyber investigations at the Korean National Police Agency, said, "This special crackdown is meaningful in that Asian countries simultaneously activated investigative nets to respond to child sexual exploitation material crimes that spread across borders through overseas messengers and illegal sites," and added, "We will do our utmost to eradicate child sexual exploitation material crimes by pursuing and arresting offenders to the end."