Kim Nok-wan, the mastermind of South Korea’s largest known Telegram-based sexual exploitation ring, had his life sentence upheld by the Supreme Court on Thursday.
The country’s highest court 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, victimized 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.
The group used the material to exploit them, and some victims were summoned and sexually assaulted in person.
The Supreme Court also upheld orders requiring Kim to wear an electronic monitoring device for 30 years if released, barring him from working at institutions serving children, teenagers or people with disabilities for 10 years, and publicly disclosing and notifying the public of his personal information for 10 years.
Two accomplices also had their prison sentences upheld Thursday. 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 courts, however, acquitted Kim and the two accomplices of organizing, joining or participating in a criminal group.
Considering how and for how long the accomplices became involved and the structure of the operation, the courts found insufficient evidence that they had maintained an organized association united by a shared criminal purpose. The Supreme Court upheld that finding.
“The defendant showed not the slightest respect for human dignity,” the appellate court said. “The physical and psychological suffering, humiliation and despair experienced by the victims are beyond measure.”
The court described his crimes as “inhumane” and said punishment proportionate to their severity was necessary.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
