5 Asian nations apprehend 435 people in major crackdown on child X-related crimes

ISTANBUL

Following a coordinated international investigation, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and Hong Kong apprehended 435 people in major sweeps against anti-social elements involved in child X-related crimes.

South Korea apprehended 374 people, 258 of whom were caught possessing or viewing child sexual abuse material, Seoul-based Yonhap News said in its report, adding that 74 of them were content producers and 42 were involved in distribution.

Hong Kong police have apprehended seven people, including a teenage boy who took intimate photos of his younger sister, reports South China Morning Post.

Bonnie Ngan Hoi-ian, chief inspector of the Hong Kong police cybersecurity and technology crime bureau, said intelligence exchange between Hong Kong police and counterparts in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, and South Korea resulted in the arrest of 435 suspects ranging in age from 13 to 68 between February 24 and March 28, the daily added.

Japanese authorities have also held 111 people on charges of child prostitution and violating child pornography laws, according to the Kyodo News.

Twenty-one men have been arrested in Singapore.

"These crimes cause irreparable harm to children and require a strong international response, as digital exploitation transcends borders," said an official from the National Office of Investigation, as quoted by the media outlet.