국내 최대 성착취물 누리집, ‘도박 홍보’ 통로였다…운영진 구속 송치

The largest private sex trafficking website in the country has been found to be a gateway for gambling promotion, leading to the arrest and prosecution of key operators. Authorities seized the organization, which operated over 7 years from August 2019 to August 2026, and amassed an estimated 500 billion won in unlawful gains over five years.

Chief Inspector 이성일 of Seoul's Cyber Investigation Division revealed that suspects ㄱ(40) and ㄴ(36) were apprehended last Monday and sent to the prosecutor's office. They face charges under the Protection of Minors Act, Violence against Women Protection Act, and the Information and Communications Network Act, as well as gambling establishment charges.

In addition, 13 accomplices, including ㄷ(54) and ㄹ(53), are being investigated. These individuals founded '아가 글로벌' (AGA Global), a gambling website and the largest sex trafficking website in 2020. The illicit activities and advertisements connected to these websites resulted in approximately 476 billion won in unlawful gains over five years.

Inspector 이숙영 stated that the conviction of ㄷ씨 would likely increase the total unlawful gains. Last April, authorities closed down ten websites operated by the suspects, including 11,660,000 videos and 28,500,000 accounts with 53.5 million total views. The illegal activities involved a complex structure where ㄴ씨, a computer engineering Ph.D., managed the development, management, and maintenance of the websites while avoiding detection.

International partners, including the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Eurojust, are assisting in the pursuit of the suspects. The Prosecutor's Office plans to seize the suspects' criminal earnings and initiate criminal charges against them. The cyber division of the Prosecutor's Office is also working on a comprehensive plan to address illegal websites and digital crimes, including victim protection, in collaboration with the Broadcasting and Entertainment Media Broadcasting Commission and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family.

Inspector 조성실 announced that special cyber investigation teams will be established in major cities to strengthen the fight against illegal websites and address the root causes of the problem.