Terrestrial Broadcasting Station Employee Investigated for Making Deepfake Sexually Exploitative Content of Junior Alumni; Informer Who Exposed Crime Also Booked for Bizarre Extortion Demand

A man who has worked at a terrestrial broadcasting station is under police investigation on charges of producing and sharing deepfake sexually exploitative content using photos and videos of a female colleague who is an alumna of the same school.

The informant who first notified the victim of the crime has also been booked by the police on charges of demanding 40 percent of the settlement money in exchange for revealing the perpetrator's identity.

The Cyber Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency is investigating a man, referred to as A, after booking him on charges including the distribution of fabricated imagery under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes.

A and the victim, woman B, are senior and junior alumni from the same high school and university. It is reported that A transferred into the same university department as B, subsequently joined the same terrestrial broadcasting station, and worked alongside her.

Woman B first became aware of the victimization on July 10.

An anonymous informant used social media to notify B that A had created and shared deepfake fabricated videos using B's photos and videos in a so-called Telegram acquaintance exploitation chatroom.

The informant reportedly claimed that there were more than 1,000 synthesized photos and videos related to B, and also transmitted a portion of the Telegram conversation logs.

Furthermore, the informant claimed there were three additional victims besides B.

However, the informant demanded that B settle the matter with A instead of reporting it to the police on the condition of revealing A's identity, while also demanding that 40 percent of the settlement money be given to them.

B identified A based on materials provided by the informant and subsequently filed a complaint against A with the police.

After the crime came to light, A reportedly acknowledged his actions to B and expressed his intention to voluntarily resign from the broadcasting station.

The police are conducting digital forensics on electronic information secured by executing a search and seizure warrant on A last week.

However, it is reported that some evidence has disappeared as A deleted his Telegram account prior to the search and seizure.

The police are investigating how many fabricated videos A actually produced and distributed, as well as whether there are any additional victims.

Additionally, the anonymous informant who demanded a portion of the settlement money in exchange for revealing the victimization has also been booked, and police are investigating the specific circumstances.

Reported by Kim Minjeong | Video by Lee Yu-jin | Graphics by Yook Do-hyun | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.