101 suspects nabbed on charges of illegal pornography in Korea

SEOUL — Over a hundred suspects have been arrested in Korea for making and distributing illegal film and child pornography, using overseas-based social media channels such as Tumblr and Twitter.

Over a hundred suspects have been arrested for making and distributing illegal film and child pornography, using overseas-based social media channels such as Tumblr and Twitter, police said Tuesday.

According to the Cyber Security Team of Northern Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency, 101 people were arrested on charges of violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles From Sexual Abuse. Of those, nine suspects were indicted via a special crackdown on cyber sexual assault that began in August.

The illegal page owners operated by frequently switching between accounts as they were blocked by the social media companies.

The police crackdown on the distribution of pornographic materials on social media was prompted by concerns over the possible migration of such operations to overseas-based social media platforms following the enforcement of stricter regulations on online storage services here.

“We will notify the National Tax Service to impose additional taxes on profits earned from illegal films and have the victims receive help from public services or counselling agencies,” a police official said.