Police disclose identity of Telegram sex crime ring leader
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency disclosed the suspect's name, age and photos on its website Saturday, identifying him as Kim Nok-wan, 33. The information will remain public until March 10.
Authorities decided to release Kim's identity during a meeting on Jan. 22. He sought to block the disclosure by filing a request with the Seoul Administrative Court, but the court rejected it.
According to investigations, Kim, who called himself "Pastor," formed a group known as "The Vigilantes" in May 2020. He allegedly ran a vast network of encrypted Telegram chat rooms, where he sexually exploited 234 victims -- 159 of whom were teenagers -- over four years until January this year.
The number of victims in this case is more than three times that of the notorious "Baksabang" case of 2019-2020, in which Cho Joo-bin blackmailed 73 individuals into making child and adolescent sexual exploitation video clips that he sold online through encrypted Telegram chat rooms. (Yonhap)
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