He attempted to throw himself from the 19th floor.
A high school student in South Korea, questioned as part of a deepfake sex crime investigation, recently attempted to commit suicide by jumping from the roof of a 19-story apartment building.
The 16-year-old boy, identified as A, was questioned as a witness for allegedly viewing and sharing deepfake content.
On the morning of September 6, authorities received an emergency call from a concerned citizen reporting that A was preparing to jump from the roof of a skyscraper in Andong City. When police and firefighters arrived on the scene, A was standing atop a rooftop water tank, repeatedly expressing his deep guilt and despair, saying, “I have committed a grave sin against society. I do not want to live anymore.”
To ensure A’s safety, rescuers placed air cushions on the ground while officers tried to persuade him to step down from the ledge. Officers from the Andong Police Station, who were among the first to arrive on the scene, engaged in a lengthy negotiation, urging A to reconsider his actions. After about 30 minutes, A burst into tears after the police mentioned his parents, but remained on the brink.
A counselor from Andong Mental Health Center later joined the efforts, continuing the discussion. After 1 hour and 40 minutes of persuasion, A finally climbed down from the water tank by himself.
The student was not directly involved in creating the deepfake material, but was questioned in connection with viewing and sharing it. Police said A was overwhelmed with guilt, to the point of contemplating suicide. He was taken into custody by his parents after receiving counseling from a local mental health center.
If you want to learn more about the deepfake sex crime crisis currently unfolding in South Korea, you can read below.
Everything We Know About the “New Nth-Room” Telegram-Based Sex Crimes Taking South Korea By Storm
Over 200 Female Idols Found In Deepfake Porn, Netizens Are Disgusted