"The Culprit Is a Active-Duty Police Officer"... 'Horrific Crimes' Dating Back Before Appointment

[Anchor]

The suspect who created and distributed hundreds of AI-utilizing sexually exploitative materials turned out to be an active-duty police officer in his 20s. Despite having previously received a suspension of indictment, he was appointed to the police force and continued his crimes even after the appointment.

Reporter Yoo Soo-Hwan has the details.

[Reporter]

"Sexually exploitative materials produced using artificial intelligence (AI) are being distributed in Telegram chat rooms."

In December of last year, the Cyber Crime Investigation Unit of the Busan Provincial Police Agency caught wind of such circumstances and initiated an "undercover investigation" with court authorization.

[Lee Kyung-min / Head of the Cyber Crime Investigation Unit, Busan Provincial Police Agency: The law was revised starting last June to allow undercover investigations even if the victim is an adult, so we launched our first undercover investigation last December and identified the operator and distributor...]

Following months of tracking, the suspect identified by the police was none other than Police Officer A, an active-duty officer assigned to the Traffic Division of the Seoul Dongdaemun Police Station.

A total of 5,600 illegal videos were discovered on Police Officer A's mobile phone, which was seized through a search and seizure operation last August.

These included 1,600 child and adolescent sexual exploitation materials and 1,300 illegally filmed videos secretly capturing women's bodies.

Police Officer A is also suspected of directly creating over 400 deepfake materials—specifically, sexually exploitative content intricately manipulated by AI by synthesizing nude images onto photos of acquaintances posted on social media—and distributing some of them in Telegram chat rooms.

It was also revealed that he received a suspension of indictment for illegal filming charges in 2020, before becoming a police officer.

Nevertheless, he began directly producing and distributing sexually exploitative materials starting in 2022, and continued his crimes for nearly three years even after being appointed as a police officer in 2023.

The police explained, "Police Officer A was suspended from duty immediately after being arrested last month," adding, "The suspension of indictment received before his police appointment did not constitute a 'disqualifying factor,' so there were no issues with his recruitment."

(Video Editing: Lee Seung-yeol)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.