South Korean teenagers arrested for creating deepfake sexual abuse images on Telegram
A South Korean high school student was arrested for creating and distributing approximately 500 deepfake sexual abuse images on Telegram from November 2024 to April 2025, with 23 others referred for prosecution for creating or sharing approximately 3,500 additional synthetic images without consent of the depicted women. Police conducted undercover operations and worked with Telegram to apprehend the suspects.
What happened
From November 2024 to April 2025, a high school student identified as A created approximately 500 deepfake images and videos by synthesizing the faces of female entertainers and civilians with explicit nude content, and distributed them via three Telegram chat rooms. Police arrested the student in May 2025 under charges of violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes and the Act on the Protection of Children and Adolescents Against Sexual Abuse.
Twenty-three additional individuals were referred for prosecution without detention on suspicion of creating or redistributing approximately 3,500 pieces of false images and videos through the same Telegram chat rooms; 15 of these were teenagers and 8 were adults aged 20 to 40. Police said the deepfake materials were highly realistic due to AI platform development.
Reported impact
The deepfake sexual abuse materials damaged the dignity and reputation of female entertainers and civilians whose faces were used without consent. Police described deepfake crime as a serious offense that destroys human dignity.
Index analysis
Police obtained initial information about the crimes in February 2025 and successfully apprehended all suspects through undercover investigation and cooperation with Telegram. Police stated that secure messaging platforms like Telegram are often exploited because perpetrators believe they cannot be traced.
Governance controls
Police announced plans to strengthen cyber crime prevention education for adolescents and continue cooperation with educational authorities and civil society to prevent deepfake sex crimes among youth.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.