Police have identified and arrested the operators and members of an online site that distributed pornographic material, recruiting thousands of members. Authorities are expanding their investigation to include members involved in the distribution of explicit content.
According to Yonhap News on May 29, the Cyber Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency arrested eight individuals, including the operator identified as A, on charges of distributing obscene material under the Information and Communications Network Act.
The suspects are accused of operating the site from January 2022 to April 2026, during which they allegedly posted or facilitated the distribution of approximately 700 pornographic photos and videos taken by members.
Investigations revealed that the site operated as an online community promoting specific sexual preferences under the guise of "couple meetings" and "spouse meetings." The operators held regular offline meetings in areas such as Gyeonggi, Busan, and Daegu, where they shared explicit content on the site and social media.
In addition to the main site, the operators managed a Daum Cafe, Telegram channels and chat rooms, and an X (formerly Twitter) account to recruit members. Police confirmed that the site had 6,325 members, with 2,361 in the Daum Cafe, 736 in the Telegram channel, 944 in the Telegram chat room, and 6,214 followers on the X account.
Operator A is reportedly a former member of the "Soranet" affiliated cafe, which had been embroiled in controversies over illegal filming and sexual crimes. Police believe A acquired information from existing cafe members to recruit individuals with specific sexual interests before launching the site.
The police initiated the investigation after receiving a request from the Korea Communications Standards Commission. They secured the site's database to identify the operators and closed the site on April 15.
Investigations into the members are ongoing. Police have identified 56 members on charges of distributing obscene material, arresting seven of them, while investigations continue for the remaining 49.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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