Operators of Large-Scale Obscene Material Site That Absorbed "Soranet Members" Referred to Prosecution

15 Referred Without Detention for Violating Information and Communications Network Act
Continued Underground Activities After Soranet Shutdown
Over 700 Posts Including Group Sex Recordings

A group that operated an obscene material site, which grew to 6,300 members by absorbing users from the notorious illegal pornography site "Soranet," and shared illegal recordings, has been referred to the prosecution. The police announced plans to refer certain users of the site as well, while continuing the investigation into the remaining members.

The Cyber Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced on the 29th that it has referred eight operators, including a man in his 60s identified as Mr. A, and seven members, including Mr. B, to the prosecution without detention, on charges of violating the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection. An additional 49 members have also been booked on the same charges.

Screen of the adult content website "Honors Club" established and operated by Mr A and others since 2022. Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency

According to the police, from January 2022 until last month, Mr. A and others established and operated the obscene material site "Honors Club," providing a space where members could post illegal obscene content. They are accused of uploading and distributing approximately 700 photos and videos, including group sex recordings, or aiding and abetting such acts.

Investigations found that Mr. A launched the site with the goal of recruiting members by absorbing the user base from "Soranet" and forming a new community. Other operators continued to distribute obscene materials by running not only the site but also online communities, Telegram channels, and social networking service (SNS) accounts.

In particular, Mr. A and the site's operators introduced a classification system, ranking members from 1st grade "Fetus" to 9th grade "Doctor," and managed the community by granting access only to members who met certain criteria.

The police investigation revealed that the site had as many as 6,325 members. These members organized "swapping" meetings—where partners are exchanged for sexual activity—in regions such as Gyeonggi, Busan, and Daegu, recorded these activities, and uploaded them to the site and other platforms.

The police began their investigation in January of last year after receiving a request from the Korea Communications Standards Commission. After more than a year of investigation, they secured the site's database and identified the operators. On April 15, they seized relevant platform data and subsequently completed deletion, blocking, and shutdown measures. A police official stated, "We are continuing to investigate increasingly diverse cyber sexual violence crimes and obscene material sites," and added, "We will respond strictly with a zero-tolerance policy not only to operators of illegal obscene material sites but also to members who use these sites."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.