Seoul police officer arrested over 2,600 deepfake images in Telegram probe

October 4, 2026 at 06:18 AM1 min

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A Seoul police officer was arrested on charges of fabricating and distributing sexually exploitative images, including deepfakes of people he knew. Forensic analysis of his phone found about 2,600 deepfake images, 1,600 child exploitation images, and 1,300 illegally filmed images. He was relieved of duty after the arrest.

Key Facts

The officer was formally arrested last month after a months-long investigation into a Telegram chat room distributor.
Police seized his mobile phone in August and found about 2,600 deepfake images, 1,600 child exploitation images, and 1,300 illegally filmed images.
He fabricated about 400 nude images of people he knew using AI between March 2022 and July this year.
The officer had previously been investigated for a similar offense and received a suspended indictment before joining the police.

Arrest and Investigation

The officer, whose identity was withheld, served at Seoul's Dongdaemun Police Station. He was formally arrested last month following months of investigation to track down a distributor of such images in a Telegram chat room. In August, police seized his mobile phone and a forensic analysis turned up about 2,600 deepfake images, some 1,600 images sexually exploiting children and about 1,300 illegally filmed images. The officer was found to have previously been investigated for a similar offense and received a suspended indictment before joining the police.

Fabricated Images and Distribution

Using artificial intelligence, the officer fabricated about 400 nude images of people he knew between March 2022 and July this year. He distributed dozens of them in the Telegram chat room. An official of the Dongdaemun Police Station said, "As soon as we were told of the case, we put him on standby and he's now been relieved of duty." The official added, "We can't confirm suspicions and other circumstances in detail."