▲ Kim Nok-wan, leader of the sexual violence criminal group 'Vigilante'
A life sentence has been finalized for Kim Nok-wan (34), the leader of "Vigilante," the largest sexual violence criminal organization in history.
The Supreme Court's Second Division (presiding Justice Kwon Young-jun) upheld the lower court's ruling sentencing Kim, who was indicted on charges including the production of sexual exploitation materials under the Act on the Protection of Children and Youth against Sexual Abuse, and rape resulting in injury.
The original orders were also maintained, including 30 years of wearing an electronic tracking device, a 10-year employment ban at institutions related to children, adolescents, and people with disabilities, and a 10-year disclosure of personal information.
Kim was arrested and indicted in February of last year on charges of organizing "Vigilante," a cyber sexual violence group that caused the largest number of victims in South Korea, from August 2020 to January of last year. Calling himself a "pastor," he sexually assaulted minors and others in sadistic and perverted ways, and produced and distributed sexually exploitative materials.
The Vigilante group targeted women who posted photos of their bodies on social media or engaged in compensated dating, as well as men attempting to enter Telegram "pornography rooms" or "acquaintance defamation rooms." After obtaining their personal information, the group threatened to expose them to extort nude photos and produce and distribute sexually exploitative materials, while also luring some victims out to physically assault them.
The number of victims reached 261, more than triple the 73 victims in the similar Telegram "Baksa-bang" (Doctor's Room) case.
The sexually exploitative materials produced by Kim and his accomplices amount to some 2,000 items.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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