YouTuber, producer arrested for doxxing alleged perpetrators of 2004 Miryang gang rape

A YouTuber and the channel’s producer, who doxxed alleged perpetrators of the 2004 Miryang gang rape, were arrested for unauthorized disclosure of personal information, the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency said on Tuesday.

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A YouTuber and the channel’s producer, who doxxed alleged perpetrators of the 2004 Miryang gang rape, were arrested for unauthorized disclosure of personal information, the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency said on Tuesday.

The police’s cyber investigation office stated it apprehended a YouTuber aged between 20 and 29 and the channel's producer, who is in their 30s, on defamation charges in violation of the act governing information protection and communications networks.

The Miryang gang rape case involved at least 44 high school students who repeatedly sexually assaulted a 14-year-old middle school girl, identified by her surname Choi, for a year in Miryang, South Gyeongsang, in 2004. Despite the horrific nature of the crime, none of the 44 teenage offenders received criminal prosecution because they were juveniles at the time.

The suspects were accused of illegally disclosing the identities of alleged sexual offenders involved in a gang rape case between June and August through their YouTube channel.

The duo also presented a victim’s family-owned restaurant as a business run by one of the alleged offenders, resulting in interruptions to the business. They produced YouTube videos based on unverified information obtained from internet users or search engines.

The police found that their doxxing inflicted damage on individuals who were not involved in the Miryang case.

Authorities have been investigating other YouTubers suspected of committing similar crimes.

A police official said they will "make every effort in the investigation, as illegal doxxing by so-called ‘cyber-wreckers’ leads to substantial damages as they spread unreliable information to gain people’s attention."

BY HYEON YE-SEUL [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]