South Korea Becomes The Latest Country to Investigate Telegram

South Korea has joined the growing list of nations now investigating Telegram. The country is reportedly launching a probe into its distribution of illicit content. It has become one of many nations investigating the platform.

In late August, Telegram CEO and founder Pavel Durov was arrested by French officials. That arrest was due to an ongoing investigation for similar activities. Those authorities claimed that the application was used for drug and child abuse content trafficking. Their actions have inspired similar activity from other jurisdictions.

It has been an up-and-down year for Telegram. The app became a vital player in the crypto sector. The Open Network, the platform’s layer-1 blockchain proved to be highly successful. It drove massive investments into its native Toncoin (TON) token. Yet, that has retreated amid controversy facing the platform.

That has only gotten worse to start September. South Korea is the latest nation to announce it is launching an investigation into Telegram. Local news outlet, Yonhap News Agency, reported that the probe is in connection to “abetting deepfake sex crimes.” South Korean authorities recently discussed the ongoing investigation.

Specifically, Woo Jong-Soo, head of the country’s National Office of Investigation, notes an internal probe was launched into Telegram’s corporate entity. That took place before the recent inquiry was launched. Moreover, he noted that they followed France’s lead. Indeed, they noted similar challenges.

“Telegram does not readily provide investigation data, such as account information, to us or other state investigative bodies,” Woo said. That was the reason for Durov’s arrest in France. The nation was unable to fulfill its investigation with limited information.

The CEO’s lack of assistance resulted in his partaking in the probe’s contents. Additionally, South Korea has said they are planning to work alongside French authorities. Therefore, they hope to collaborate on ways to successfully investigate the ongoing issues with the application.