Teenagers who sold deepfake sexual exploitation videos of celebrities on Telegram have been caught by the police. The police have also identified and booked individuals who purchased these sexual exploitation videos.
Reporter Bae Sung-jae reporting.
Inside a cardboard box are several bundles of cash. This money was seized by the police from a teenage male, A, who sold deepfake sexual exploitation videos of celebrities.
Police arrested A and two others on charges of selling deepfake sexual exploitation videos by operating a Telegram channel called ‘composite picture room,’ also known as ‘copulation room,’ where they synthesized celebrities’ faces onto pornographic materials.
A and others are suspected of uploading deepfake sexual exploitation videos of Korean celebrities downloaded from overseas Telegram channels to their own channel from November last year to July this year, charging an entrance fee of 20,000 to 40,000 won.
It’s reported that around 20 celebrities, including minors, were victims of deepfake exploitation. According to police investigations, A and the others were either college students or unemployed adults.
Police arrested two of them and booked one without detention. Additionally, 24 individuals who purchased deepfake sexual exploitation materials from them were booked on charges of violating the law on the protection of children and adolescents in sex-related crimes. All of these buyers were teenagers and individuals in their 20s.
Police have seized 10 million won from A and are tracking down an additional 80 purchasers. They have closed the Telegram channel operated by A after launching an investigation, and as of now, there is no evidence that the distributed deepfake sexual exploitation content has been further disseminated.
(Video editing: Park Ki-deok, Footage provided by Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency)