A high school student has been caught allegedly creating sexually explicit content using deepfake technology and selling it through Telegram, police said Thursday.

The suspect, who goes to a high school in the southeastern Daegu-North Gyeongsang Province region, was accused of posting a social media ad promoting the sale of sexually explicit deepfake images of family members, acquaintances and celebrities on June 7 and selling them for 1,000 won (US$0.75) to 2,000 won per piece via Telegram.

He reportedly earned some 300,000 to 400,000 won through the sale on some 10 occasions.

Police found the post on social media and approached the suspect while pretending to be a buyer before arresting him in July and confiscating 317 deepfake materials.

The Ansan Sangnok Police Station said the student has been booked on charges of violating the Juvenile Protection Act and the act on the punishment of sexual crimes.

Most of the victims were found to be acquaintances of the suspect from middle school, including one t
eacher and 10 students, with room for the number to increase as some buyers also sent photos of their contacts.

During police questioning, the suspect testified that he learned how to make deepfake content online and committed the crime to “make money easily.”

Police plan to seek an arrest warrant for the suspect in the near future.

Source: Yonhap News Agency