A current police officer has been arrested for using artificial intelligence (AI) to create false sexual videos and distributing illegal materials through Telegram chat rooms. Despite having a prior record of being suspended for similar offenses before joining the police force, he continued his criminal activities after his appointment and was caught during an undercover investigation by fellow officers.
According to Yonhap News on October 4, an officer identified as A, who works at the Dongdaemun Police Station in Seoul, was arrested last month on charges of possessing and distributing sexual exploitation materials and false videos.
The Busan Police Agency had received court approval for an undercover investigation in December of last year to track down individuals distributing false videos in a Telegram chat room. Investigators entered the chat room without revealing their identities to trace the sources of the illegal materials.
This undercover operation was introduced in September 2021 following the Nth Room and Doctor's Room scandals, as part of amendments to the Youth Protection Act. Since June of last year, it has also been utilized for investigating digital sex crimes against adults under the Sexual Violence Punishment Act.
After months of monitoring the chat room, police identified A as the individual distributing the illegal videos. Upon confirming his identity, they found he was an active police officer in the traffic division of the Dongdaemun Police Station.
In August, police executed a search warrant on A's mobile phone and other devices. The warrant cited three instances of distributing false videos. However, the analysis of the seized materials revealed a much larger scale of criminal activity than initially anticipated.
In addition to false videos, a significant amount of child and adolescent sexual exploitation materials and illegal recordings were discovered on his devices.
The analysis indicated that A possessed over 5,600 video files, including more than 2,600 false videos, around 1,600 child and adolescent sexual exploitation materials, and approximately 1,300 illegal recordings.
A not only collected illegal videos but also produced and distributed them. From March 2022 to July this year, he created over 400 false videos depicting acquaintances in nude forms using an AI app and was also found to have produced illegal recordings of women. Between August last year and April this year, he distributed dozens of false videos in Telegram chat rooms.
A joined the police force in April 2024, meaning his criminal activities began about two years before his appointment and continued for over two years while he was in uniform. It has been confirmed that he had previously been investigated for similar offenses and received a suspension before joining the police.
As the police investigation intensified, A reportedly confessed to his crimes. The Dongdaemun Police Station stated, "Immediately after being notified of the investigation by the Busan Police Agency, we placed Officer A on standby, and he is currently suspended from duty," adding that they could not disclose further details regarding the charges or the investigation process.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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