South Korea’s National Police Agency has opened an investigation into Telegram over its role in the distribution of deepfake pornography, including material involving teenagers.
Police in Seoul say they have received 88 complaints and identified 24 suspects, according to DW. The inquiry focuses on whether the encrypted messaging platform abetted the spread of AI-generated sexual images that superimpose real faces onto artificial bodies.
The case reflects a broader and deeply troubling digital sex-crime problem in South Korea. The report says a South Korean broadcaster recently exposed a Telegram chatroom run by university students who shared deepfake pornographic material featuring female classmates. That story helped intensify public anger and pressure on authorities to act.
KNPA investigations chief Woo Jong-soo told reporters that Telegram had not responded to earlier requests for account information in prior cases. That point is important because it suggests the investigation is not only about content moderation, but also about the company’s willingness to cooperate with law enforcement when crimes are reported.
The police move also comes shortly after Telegram founder Pavel Durov was arrested in France in August. DW said Durov is being held over allegations that criminality was allowed to spread on the platform. While the French case is separate, it has clearly sharpened scrutiny of Telegram’s systems and corporate responsibility across jurisdictions.
Deepfake pornography has become one of South Korea’s most visible technology and criminal-law issues. The report notes that digital sex crimes such as spycams and revenge porn have long been a major concern. In this latest wave, the use of AI tools has made abuse faster to produce and easier to distribute, which raises the stakes for police and regulators trying to respond.
The national police said they will work with French counterparts on the case, pointing to the cross-border nature of both the technology and the enforcement challenge. The company is encrypted, global and mobile-first, while the victims are often local and identifiable, creating a serious mismatch between the speed of abuse and the pace of investigations.
The report does not say Telegram has been charged or that any final legal finding has been made. It does show that South Korean police believe the platform may have played a role in enabling the crimes and that they are prepared to test that theory publicly.
For victims, the issue is immediate and personal. Deepfake material can spread widely before takedowns occur, and the damage to reputation, safety and mental health can be hard to reverse. For regulators, the case is part of a wider question now facing many countries: what responsibility should messaging platforms bear when criminal communities use them to distribute sexual abuse at scale?
