What charges did the Seoul police officer face in the Dongdaemun Police Station deepfake case?

He was arrested on charges of possessing, fabricating and distributing sexually exploitative images, including images of people he knew. Police said the case emerged during an investigation into a Telegram chat room used to spread such material.

Why was the Dongdaemun police officer relieved of duty?

An official said the station put him on standby as soon as it was told of the case, and he was then relieved of duty. The officer had also previously been investigated for a similar offense and had received a suspended indictment before joining the police.

Police officer arrested for fabricating, distributing sexually exploitative images

Q: How many deepfake and illicit images were found on the officer’s phone?

A forensic analysis of his mobile phone turned up about 2,600 deepfake images, about 1,600 images sexually exploiting children and about 1,300 illegally filmed images. Police seized the phone in August during the investigation.

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Summary

A Seoul police officer has been arrested on charges of possessing, fabricating and distributing sexually exploitative images, officials said Sunday. The officer from Dongdaemun Police Station was formally arrested last month after investigators tracked a Telegram distributor. He was relieved of duty after police seized his phone and found thousands of deepfake and illicit images, including ones he made of people he knew.

Key Facts

Police said a forensic analysis of the officer’s phone found about 2,600 deepfake images, about 1,600 images sexually exploiting children and about 1,300 illegally filmed images.
Investigators said he fabricated about 400 nude images of people he knew using artificial intelligence between March 2022 and July this year.
Police said he distributed dozens of those fabricated images in a Telegram chat room.
The officer had previously been investigated for a similar offense and had received a suspended indictment before joining the police.

By Yonhap

Published Oct 4, 2026 10:18 am KST
Updated Oct 4, 2026 10:25 am KST

A police officer has been arrested on charges of possessing, fabricating and distributing sexually exploitative images, including those of people he knows, officials said Sunday.

The officer of Seoul's Dongdaemun Police Station, whose identity was withheld, was formally arrested last month following months of investigation to track down a distributor of such images in a Telegram chat room.

In August, police seized his mobile phone and a forensic analysis turned up about 2,600 deepfake images, some 1,600 images sexually exploiting children and about 1,300 illegally filmed images.

Using artificial intelligence, the officer even fabricated about 400 nude images of people he knew between March 2022 and July this year and distributed dozens of them in the Telegram chat room.

The officer was found to have previously been investigated for a similar offense and received a suspended indictment before joining the police.

"As soon as we were told of the case, we put him on standby and he's now been relieved of duty," an official of the Dongdaemun Police Station said. "We can't confirm suspicions and other circumstances in detail."

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