SNU graduate sentenced to 10 years in prison over deepfakes of more than 60 women

A district court on Wednesday sentenced a Seoul National University (SNU) graduate to 10 years in prison for creating and distributing deepfake sexual content involving over 60 women.

Protestors call for measures to prevent deepfake digital sex crimes near Gangnam Station in southern Seoul on Aug. 29. [NEWS1]

A district court on Wednesday sentenced a Seoul National University (SNU) graduate to 10 years in prison for creating and distributing deepfake sexual content involving over 60 women.

The Seoul Central District Court sentenced the 40-year-old defendant, identified by his surname Park, to a 10-year prison term for violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse. Prosecutors had also sought a 10-year sentence for the defendant.

Park created and distributed deepfake content involving at least 61 women, including 12 fellow SNU classmates and minors, between July 2021 and April, according to prosecutors.

A 31-year-old accomplice, also an SNU graduate identified by his surname Kang, received a four-year prison sentence.

The court additionally ordered both Park and Kang to complete 80 hours of classes on sexual abuse crimes and mandated that their identities be publicly disclosed for five years.

The court condemned the defendants for committing a “humiliating digital sex crime” against individuals "who studied alongside them at a university renowned for housing some of the country’s top intellectuals.”

“The victims treated them kindly as alumni, yet the defendants targeted them as if on a hunt, using everyday photos, such as wedding pictures, to mock and completely dehumanize them,” the court said.

The court noted that until the defendants’ arrests, the victims had to live in fear and distrust of male acquaintances, as it took years to track down the suspects due to the security of Telegram.

A screen capture from a video shows the arrest of a 40-year-old Seoul National University graduate, surnamed Park, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for creating and distributing deepfake sexual content on Wednesday. [SEOUL METROPOLITAN POLICE AGENCY]

“Many victims saw their personal relationships crumble and even lost their fundamental trust in men,” the court added.

Emphasizing the severity of the crime, which “shattered even the minimal trust that an acquaintance would refrain from harmful acts,” the judge said that a heavy sentence was necessary to sound a warning to society about the consequences of “disregarding law and ethics while hiding behind anonymity.”

The defendants sought leniency, citing psychological factors such as depression and ADHD due to academic pressures, but the court rejected their pleas.

“The defendants’ Telegram conversations show they took various precautions in anticipation of investigation, suggesting no apparent mental health issues and a clear awareness that their actions were criminal,” the court said.

Park was brought to trial for creating around 2,000 pieces of sexually explicit content and distributing them via Telegram. Kang was charged with creating deepfake content from photos of victims he received from Park.

The crime was uncovered by Won Eun-ji, one of the two women known as Team Flame, who investigated and exposed the Nth Room — a notorious Telegram chatroom providing paid access to child pornography and other exploitative content — in 2020.

In this recent case, Won entered the Telegram chatroom and, posing as a man, spent over two years building rapport with Park. On April 3, she arranged a meeting with Park at an offline location in Gwanak District, southern Seoul, where he was arrested by police.

In August, the court sentenced another accomplice in the case, a 28-year-old also surnamed Park, to five years in prison.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO, CHOI SEO-IN [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]