South Korean police undercover probes into digital sex crimes surge more than threefold

Data released by the National Office of Investigation, part of the Korean National Police Agency, show that 598 undercover investigations were conducted between January and August, more than triple the 179 cases recorded during the same period last year. The undercover tactic, first employed in 2021 after the notorious Nth room case, has resulted in a cumulative 1,503 operations by the end of August, yielding 2,873 suspect apprehensions and 164 formal arrests.

This year, police seized 338 suspects who had engaged in sexual-exploitation chats with children or adolescents, leading to six arrests. The increase follows the October-last-year law criminalising attempts to solicit minors for sexual purposes, and a June expansion that now includes adult victims. Overall, the intensified use of covert operations reflects South Korea's ongoing effort to combat digital sex crimes, especially those involving deep-fake technology.