South Korean police officer caught distributing AI porn on Telegram
He’s been in trouble before.
A police badge, commendation, and surreptitious Telegram activity. Image by Cybernews.
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- South Korean police detained Sergeant Gong over allegations he created and distributed AI-generated sexual deepfakes on Telegram.
- Records say Gong made about 400 deepfake videos and more than 5,500 unlawful videos over four years.
- Gong joined the police after a suspended indictment in a secret-filming case, exposing vetting gaps.
- A lawmaker urged police to review personnel checks after Gong received three commendations while serving.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
A 28-year-old South Korean police sergeant has been charged and detained over allegations that he created AI-generated sexual deepfakes of his acquaintances.
According to records submitted by South Korea’s National Police Agency to People Power Party representative Seo Myeong-ok, the officer allegedly produced around 400 deepfake videos and over 5,500 unlawful videos that he allegedly distributed on Telegram.
The content was produced over a 4-year period from 2022 to 2026. The suspect, Gong Mo, was arrested in July 2026 during an undercover operation conducted by the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency, following the illicit flow of material on Telegram.
The indictment reportedly includes alleged violations of South Korea’s Youth Sexual Protection Act and the Act on the Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes.
Gong had also received a suspended indictment in 2021 over an incident in September 2020, in which he was accused of secretly filming a woman’s legs and buttocks at a bus stop.
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A weakness in the recruitment process
Officer Gong joined the police in December 2023, meaning some of the content was in his possession before being recruited.
And as The Chosun Daily reported, this points to a weakness in the vetting part of the recruitment process.
The hiring process stipulates that a candidate is disqualified if they have incurred a fine of over 1 million won (around $750) within 3 years. Because Gong's indictment was suspended, he was able to successfully enroll.
On top of all this, Gong also received 3 commendations in his police career, with his superiors stating that he was “serving as a role model police officer.”
Seo Myeong-ok, lawmaker from South Korea’s People Power Party (PPP), stated:
A police officer indicted for producing and distributing illegal sexual abuse material received commendations three times while on duty. The police organization must examine whether there were flaws in its personnel verification and internal management systems.
In September 2024, South Korea outlawed keeping or viewing sexually explicit deepfake material, with punishments including prison time and fines.
Also in Busan, an IT maintenance worker was arrested in May after leaving his USB stick in a school computer, which contained 405GB of deepfake pornography, including distorted images of 200 educational workers.
