19 caught for distributing obscene images to online club cafes

Police have cracked down on 19 distributors of obscene images, including teenagers, to porn club cafés on the Internet.

Cyber investigators at the Daejeon District Police Agency said Tuesday that five of the 19 have been booked without detention for illegally handling obscene images on their online club cafés.

They are suspected of having operated closed-door membership cafés on the Internet, while uploading and distributing photos taken of their bodies, porn videos from other sites and adult “manga” or comics/cartoons.

The three online cafes police checked have 500 to 1,500 members each.

The investigation found that members of the clubs met others for a second time via social networking services after meeting online through postings on bulletin boards, such as “seeking female slave” or “person for obscene talking” at the cafes.

Police said that there are 14 adolescents involved in the distribution of the obscene images, including a 14-year-old Kim who was the operator of one of the cafés and a bulletin board gatekeeper.

“All the teenagers have not been booked on condition that they will receive treatment for their severe Internet porn addiction,” said Kim Sun-young, chief of the cyber investigation team. “We will continue to crack down on obscene cafes to make the Internet sound cultural ground.”