Seoul university freshman investigated over deepfake sexual content targeting classmates
Police say at least 10 students may have been victimized through Telegram posts containing personal information, sexual harassment and suspected deepfake material.
Police and officials from the Daejeon city government and the city's education office attend a meeting on a crackdown on deepfake sexual exploitation crimes at the Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency on Aug. 30, 2024.
NEWS1
Police are investigating a freshman at a Seoul university over allegations that he sexually harassed classmates on social media and created illegal deepfake sexual content targeting them, with at least 10 suspected victims identified so far.
The suspect reportedly distributed personal information — including photos, names, phone numbers and social media IDs — of students in his own department and other departments through Telegram and other social media platforms, along with repeated sexually harassing remarks.
The Gwanak Police Station received the case Friday and is investigating the man on charges of violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes for using communication devices to distribute obscene material, the station said.
In a Telegram chat room, the suspect allegedly named victims by department and real name while writing, "I have material" and "I have dochwal," using slang for illicit filming. In one instance, he is alleged to have shared a photo of a victim's face along with the message, "She showed me this photo before — this is one I secretly took."
He is also suspected of producing deepfake sexual content. When other users in the chat room asked him to make such material, he allegedly responded, "I'll make some. Should I use ones I know?"
The complainant, a student at the same university, learned of the suspect's alleged conduct from an anonymous tipster in early August and filed a complaint against him at the Seoul Eunpyeong Police Station on Aug. 5. The case was later transferred to the Gwanak Police Station, which has jurisdiction. Based on the Telegram chat records, police estimate there are at least 10 victims.
"I'm concerned there may be more victims we haven't identified yet," the complainant said. "I'm gathering additional evidence of harm so this isn't treated lightly, and I plan to file additional complaints against him depending on how the situation develops."
Police said they plan to schedule questioning of the suspect soon.
BY NOH YU-RIM [[email protected]]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
