"Telegram Nth Room Incident" victimizes up to 74 girls, collecting membership fees in cryptocurrency

In recent days, South Korea cracked down on a shocking large-scale imprisonment and sexual abuse case, where suspects kidnapped underage women to serve as sex slaves. They used the popular encrypted messaging app Telegram to distribute a series of violent videos and photos of underage victims, charging chat room users with virtual currencies, credit cards, mobile payments, etc. The main suspect with the surname Zhao has been captured.

• There are up to 74 victims, mostly underage females
• The main suspect accepted mainstream cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum

Telegram as a Tool for Crime: Nth Room

Telegram, known for its encrypted communication, has been a primary communication tool for cryptocurrency enthusiasts. After the anti-extradition law protests in Hong Kong, more people in Asia started paying attention to this app. However, its encryption mechanism became a loophole for criminals and turned into a nightmare for numerous young girls in South Korea.

The "Telegram Nth Room" case has attracted widespread attention. The main suspect, Cho Joo-bin, along with accomplices, set up 8 chat rooms on Telegram. Since December 2018, they used various fraudulent and coercive methods to imprison victims, filmed explicit videos to attract users to pay for viewing, with an estimated viewership of over 260,000 people.

17 accomplices, including the suspect with the alias "Doctor" (박사), have been formally arrested. According to South Korean media Korea Times, there are still 124 individuals involved in the case at large, with up to 74 victims, averaging around 24 years old.

Payment in Cryptocurrency by Members

According to the South Korean media Decenter, the main suspect Cho also charged users in cryptocurrency, including Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Monero (XMR). It is suspected that users' Monero was purchased through the well-known Korean exchange Bithumb. Major exchanges in Korea have expressed willingness to cooperate in the investigation.

Cho also categorized users into three membership levels, charging fees ranging from 250,000 to 1.5 million South Korean Won (approximately between 600 to 36,000 New Taiwan Dollars).

South Korean President Moon Jae-in publicly condemned the Nth Room case as "a brutal act that destroys human dignity." He expressed deep sorrow over such inhumane behavior and ordered the police to thoroughly investigate all individuals involved in the case.

This large-scale imprisonment and sexual abuse case has sparked outrage among the South Korean public. Over 2.5 million people have signed a petition on the Blue House's website demanding the disclosure of the suspects' identities and photos.

Related Reading

• Unveiling the Privacy Messaging App: Telegram is not as Secure as You Think
• Political and Business Elites Optimistic! Telegram Token Sale Private Round List Exposed, Former Russian Cabinet Minister Included

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