Undercover investigations by police into digital sex crimes more than triple this year

SEOUL, Sept. 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korean police have more than tripled their use of undercover investigations for digital sex crimes this year, data reveals. The National Office of Investigation reported 598 undercover probes between January and August compared to 179 cases in the same period last year. The police launched this method in 2021 following the Nth room case involving underage girls coerced into obscene acts.

As a result, 1,503 undercover investigations have been carried out, leading to the apprehension of 2,873 suspects and the formal arrest of 164. This year alone, 338 suspects have been apprehended through undercover methods for attempting to engage in conversations with children for sexual exploitation, with six arrests. The police's undercover operations have expanded due to a new law criminalizing such attempts, and the government has also broadened the scope to include adult victims since June last year.