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Seoul Court Sentences Man to Life for Massive Telegram Blackmail Ring That Abused 261 People, Many Minors

09:18 PM, 11/24/2025
Seoul Court Sentences Man to Life for Massive Telegram Blackmail Ring That Abused 261 People, Many Minors

The Seoul Central District Court sentenced 33-year-old Kim Nok-wan to life in prison for running a Telegram-based blackmail ring that sexually exploited or abused 261 people over about four years, many of them minors. Kim personally raped or assaulted 16 victims (14 minors) and recorded 13 of those assaults. Investigators say the network created roughly 1,700 exploitative images or videos and distributed about 260 files to coerce victims; ten accomplices received two- to four-year terms.

A Seoul court on Monday sentenced 33-year-old Kim Nok-wan to life in prison for operating an online blackmail network that sexually exploited or abused 261 victims over roughly four years. Authorities say the ring relied on coercion, manipulated images and threats to force victims — many of them minors — into compliance before Kim's arrest in January.

How the scheme worked

Beginning around August 2020, Kim targeted people who posted sexually suggestive material on social media and men seeking access to secret Telegram chat rooms where digitally altered sexual images of acquaintances were shared. He threatened to expose victims' images and videos, forced them to recruit new targets and built a pyramid-like structure that expanded the ring's reach on the messaging app.

Scope of the abuse

The court found that Kim personally raped or assaulted 16 victims, 14 of whom were underage, and recorded videos in 13 of those assaults. Investigators reported that the network produced roughly 1,700 sexually exploitative images or videos aimed at about 70 individuals and distributed around 260 files online to coerce those who refused to cooperate. The ring also attempted to blackmail some victims' family members and colleagues to increase pressure.

Ten accomplices were convicted and received prison terms ranging from two to four years; five of them were minors. The court said many defendants understood that recruits would likely suffer the same sexual exploitation they had endured but carried out recruiter roles to avoid having their own images circulated.

"Most of the victims were children or adolescents, and it appears they would have suffered extreme physical and psychological pain as a result of the crimes," the court said, noting that digital sex crimes can rapidly amplify harm and are extremely difficult to reverse once exploitative material is distributed.

Public reaction and context

The disclosure of Kim's activities after his arrest provoked public shock and renewed concern about how digital platforms can enable sexual violence. The ruling follows a high-profile 40-year sentence, issued by the same court nearly five years earlier, in another major blackmail case involving coerced sexual videos.

The court emphasized that the gravity and scale of the offenses justified "permanent isolation from society" to protect potential future victims and to recognize the severe, long-lasting harm caused by disseminated digital material.

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