The Seoul High Court upheld a life sentence on April 29 for Kim Nok-wan, leader of the Telegram-based 'Vigilante' sex exploitation ring. Kim committed crimes against 261 victims from May 2020 to January 2025.
Kim Nok-wan lured victims into the 'Vigilante' chatroom by threatening to expose their personal information. Victims were told they could leave only after recruiting 10 others, creating a pyramid of abuse. Police arrested 14 members, 10 of them teenagers.
Kim sexually assaulted 234 victims and produced 1,381 pieces of exploitative material. He posed as two people to deceive victims into relationships that led to assaults. The court described the crimes as anti-human rights offenses.
The appeals court cited the four-year duration and sadistic nature of the acts in upholding the sentence, adding 30 years of electronic monitoring and 10 years of personal information disclosure. Victims continue to live in fear.
