Key Operators and Administrators of Overseas Sexual Exploitation Sites Arrested and Detained

107 Victims Identified, Including 24 Children and Youths
Domain Shuttle Method Used to Evade Access Blocking
Cash Worth 150 Million Won and Virtual Assets Seized and Frozen

An illegal website operation group that used overseas servers to distribute a large volume of child and youth sexual exploitation materials and illegal recordings has been uncovered by the police.

On June 16, the Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency announced that it had arrested and detained two individuals, including the mastermind and an operator of the illegal websites, on charges including violations of the Act on the Protection of Children and Youth Against Sexual Offenses, the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes, and the National Sports Promotion Act.

They are accused of operating eight illegal websites hosted on overseas servers and posting and distributing approximately 120,000 video files, including child and youth sexual exploitation materials and illegal recordings.

Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency Building Exterior

Investigations revealed that sexual exploitation materials related to a total of 107 victims, including 24 child and youth victims, were posted on the websites they managed.

The group continued their activities by employing a so-called 'domain shuttle' method, where they changed the website address to a new domain whenever access blocking measures were implemented by authorities such as the Korea Communications Standards Commission.

In particular, they also directly operated a separate site listing the updated addresses, thereby guiding users to access the new sites.

The police confirmed that the group generated profits not only through the distribution of sexual exploitation materials, but also by posting advertising banners for sports betting, online casinos, and prostitution brokerage sites. The criminal proceeds from advertising revenue and other sources are estimated to be around 1 billion won.

The police additionally applied charges for violating the National Sports Promotion Act and, during the arrest, seized approximately 150 million won in cash and froze around 52,000 units of virtual asset Tether (USDT), equivalent to about 80 million won.

Currently, the police are tracking the flow of criminal proceeds and expanding the investigation into the possibility of additional accomplices and money laundering activities.

A representative from the Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency stated, "Recently, cybersexual violence crimes are becoming more organized and commercialized through the use of overseas domains and Telegram," and added, "We will continue to monitor similar sites in cooperation with the Central Digital Sex Crime Victim Support Center and will make every effort to prevent further victimization by immediately requesting access blocks upon confirmation of domain changes."

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