Kim Nok-wan (pic), the mastermind of South Korea’s largest known Telegram-based sexual exploitation ring, had his life sentence upheld by the Supreme Court.
The country’s highest court on Thursday upheld Kim’s convictions on 25 counts, including producing and distributing sexually exploitative material, threatening victims with intimate images, illegal filming, rape and indecent assault.
Kim and members of his group, known as the Vigilantes, victimised 261 people, including minors, and produced more than 2,000 sexually exploitative images and videos.
Kim operated the ring from August 2020 until his arrest in January 2025, using the online alias “Pastor” and assigning accomplices titles such as “senior preacher”, “preacher” and “preacher-in-training”.
The group obtained personal information belonging to women who posted revealing images on social media or sought paid dates, as well as men attempting to enter Telegram chat rooms containing pornography or sexually manipulated images of acquaintances.
Members then threatened to expose the victims’ identities unless they provided nude images or complied with other demands.
Two accomplices also had their prison sentences upheld.
One received an indeterminate juvenile sentence of between 18 months and two years, while the other was sentenced to two and a half years in prison.
The court described Kim’s crimes as “inhumane” and said punishment proportionate to their severity was necessary. — The Straits Times/ANN
