Online sexual exploitation of minors on the rise despite stronger laws

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Online sexual exploitation of minors on the rise despite stronger laws

Published: 06 May. 2025, 07:00

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Cho Ju-bin, convicted of blackmail and sexual harassment, is transferred to prosecutors in Seoul on March 25, 2022. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Online sexual exploitation of minors in Korea continues to rise despite stronger laws enacted after the infamous Nth Room case, with most victims lured through chat apps and social media.

In January, a teenage girl received a direct message on Instagram that read, “Your photos are being circulated on Telegram.”

The sender offered to connect her with the alleged chat room operator. When she contacted the operator, he asked for personal details under the pretense of identity verification. Once the operator had her information, his tone shifted. He demanded explicit material, threatening to distribute her photos and videos if she did not comply.

Police later confirmed that the person who sent the Instagram message and the Telegram operator were the same individual: a 16-year-old male.

In another case from 2023, a 12-year-old girl began dating someone claiming to be the same age whom she met through an open chat room. He suggested they play a game, and when she lost, he demanded sexually explicit photos. Believing him to be her boyfriend, she complied. He then began blackmailing her, saying he would spread the photos.

Investigators later revealed that the individual was not a minor but an adult who had targeted her with the intent of acquiring exploitative content, adding that the victim did not realize she had been a victim of sexual exploitation until she underwent psychological counseling.

These cases highlight the persistence of digital sexual exploitation of minors in Korea, despite the passage of tougher laws that went into effect five years ago.

Officials from the Office of Education and the police, along with students and parents, take part in a joint campaign to prevent school violence and deepfake sex crimes in front of Dongdo Middle School in Suseong District, Daegu, on Oct. 8, 2024. [NEWS1]

Around five years have passed since Korea introduced a package of legal revisions known collectively as the “Nth Room prevention law” after a notorious series of sexual exploitation cases on Telegram from 2018 to 2020 were revealed. Operators Cho Ju-bin and Moon Hyung-wook, both currently 30 years old, coerced more than 70 people — including minors — into producing sexual content and then distributed it through chat rooms.

In response, the government revised the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes and the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles Against Sexual Abuse in 2020.

The updated laws impose a minimum sentence of five years to life imprisonment for producing, importing or exporting sexually exploitative materials of minors. Distributors face at least three years in prison or fines up to 50 million won ($36,000). Even possession or viewing of such materials now carries a penalty of at least one year in prison or a fine of up to 20 million won.

Still, the number of reported exploitation cases involving minors has steadily increased. According to an analysis released last month by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, 1,187 underage victims received support from the National Center for the Rights of the Child in 2024, up from 727 in 2020. Cases of content production involving minors also surged from 93 in 2019 to 1,154 in 2023.

The rise in child exploitation cases coincides with the increased use of messaging and social networking platforms among young people. Of the 1,187 victims in 2024, 501 encountered their abusers through chat apps, while 459 met them via social media, according to the Gender Ministry. Together, these platforms accounted for approximately 81 percent of all reported cases.

In one major case, Kim Nok-wan, a 33-year-old man arrested in January, organized a cybercriminal group called “Vigilante” and exploited 234 victims, including minors, through Telegram and other platforms.

More recently, in April, authorities arrested a 17-year-old male for allegedly producing and distributing sexual exploitation content of 19 fellow teens he met on social media, referring him to the prosecution. Investigators said he lured victims by claiming their videos were already circulating online, then used the content to coerce additional victims in a pyramid-like scheme.

In April, the government announced amendments to the Child and Youth Sexual Protection Act aimed at enhancing punishments and investigative tools. On Friday, it also proposed additional funding to upgrade the national system for deleting digital sexual abuse content.

But experts say harsher punishments alone are not enough.

“Even after the Nth Room prevention law was passed, about 70 percent of perpetrators received suspended sentences, showing that harsh punishments have been rare,” said Heo Min-sook, a legislative researcher at the National Assembly Research Service. “We need more aggressive investigations and punishments that reflect the law’s intent.”

Heo also stressed the need for tech companies to take greater responsibility.

“We should not only strengthen monitoring by chat app providers, but also mandate more active surveillance using AI and pre-emptive blocking measures,” she said.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY KIM CHANG-YONG [[email protected]]