On 24/11, the Seoul Central District Court declared Kim Nok-wan deserved "permanent isolation from society" due to the severity of his crimes. His 10 accomplices received sentences of two to four years in prison.

Law enforcement agencies described this case as South Korea's largest online sexual offense to date. Kim Nok-wan led "Vigilantes" on Telegram, a large-scale, multi-level marketing-style group. This group threatened victims into producing pornographic content and sharing it in online chat rooms. Kim, calling himself the group's "pastor," targeted both male and female victims.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency released Kim Nok-wan's portrait on 8/2. Photo: News1

Beginning in August 2020, Kim targeted women who posted pornographic content on social media and men who sought secret Telegram chat rooms to share edited pornographic images of acquaintances. He threatened to expose these individuals, coercing them into finding more victims. This created a multi-level network dedicated to producing and sharing edited pornographic images of victims, most of whom were minors.

Kim raped or sexually assaulted 16 victims, including 14 minors. He videotaped his criminal acts in 13 cases. The court reported he created about 1,700 pornographic images or videos targeting about 70 victims. He distributed about 260 of these online to threaten those who refused to cooperate, and also attempted to threaten some victims' family members and colleagues.

"Kim Nok-wan testified in court that he deeply regretted his actions, but the defendant committed countless crimes over the past four to five years. Given the brutality of the crimes and the lack of compensation for the victims, it is necessary to permanently isolate the defendant from society," the court stated.

Kim Nok-wan was escorted by police to the prosecution office on 24/1. Photo: YTN

The court also addressed the other defendants, including five minors. It determined they knew victims drawn into the network would face sexual exploitation similar to their own, yet they participated to prevent their own images from being disseminated through threats involving videos and images.

"Digital sexual crimes can rapidly amplify victim harm to an irreparable extent in cyberspace. Once sexual exploitation materials are disseminated, it is very difficult to completely remove them, making damage recovery almost impossible," the court said in a statement.

During his arrest in January, Kim's crimes shocked public opinion when revealed. This raised concerns about the increasing risk of sexual violence fueled by digital technology. Almost five years ago, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced Cho Ju-bin, the leader of the "Nth Chat Room" pornography network involving 74 victims, to 40 years in prison.

Tue Anh (according to AP, BBC, CBS)