33-Year-Old Korean Man's Name And Face Revealed For Leading Yet Another Sexually Exploitative Telegram Chatroom

After the “Nth Room Sex Abuse” revelation shook South Korea in 2020, the nation has been relentless in battling similar cases—often taking the form of exclusive chatrooms on Telegram. Despite its government becoming more active in combatting the epidemic, South Korea has not been able to end online sexual exploitation.

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That said, on February 8, 2025 (KST), the name and face of a 33-year-old Korean man were revealed by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency after he was arrested for operating the “Pastor Room,” exploiting 234 victims—68% of whom are teenagers.

MYH20250208007900641 — The leader of the “Pastor Room” facing the media. | *Yonhap*

MBC reported that Kim Nok Wan formed an online group called “The Vigilantes” in May 2020. Referring to himself as a “pastor,” Kim structured the group into hierarchical ranks, assigning members titles such as deacons, evangelists, and trainee evangelists, establishing a strict chain of command to carry out his crimes.

Members of the group then lured victims of all genders with invitations to an exclusive Telegram chatroom “dedicated to creating and sharing explicitly photoshopped images of acquaintances and celebrities.” To gain access, victims were required to provide personal information. Almost identical to how the Nth Room was operated, victims were then blackmailed into enduring sadistic, sexual abuse in exchange for keeping their personal information from being made public.

download — Screenshots of Kim’s messages to Victim A. | *Channel A*

I had to send him photos and videos of me greeting him naked. Until school started, he would send adult toys that I would have to use on myself. He kept telling me that I needed sex ed, sending a dozen videos of other people doing sexual things. He would demand I write reviews on them after watching. From what I know, he would let people out by making them ‘graduate.’ You needed to score an 8 out of 10 to be able to graduate, though. He once told me that while I scored 8, he didn’t really like me. So he wanted to have sex with me in exchange for my official ‘graduation.’

— Victim A

According to the Cybercrime Investigation Division at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, the group consisted of 14 members, including Kim. The youngest member has been identified as 15 years old.

Considering the gravity of the crime and the severity of the harm inflicted on victims, the police decided to reveal Kim’s full name and face—which Kim contested by filing an injunction with the Seoul Administrative Court. But his request was denied, leading to the public disclosure of his information.

img_20250208091301_y189pvt7 — Kim Nok Wan | *Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency*

The total number of victims in the “Pastor Room” case exceeds three times the 73 victims of the “Nth Room” Telegram case, in which the now-incarcerated Cho Ju Bin produced and distributed sexually exploitative content of children and minors between 2019 and 2020.