First France, now South Korea — Telegram's legal troubles are only growing. Here's why

Following the recent arrest of its founder in France, Telegram is now facing potential legal troubles in South Korea.

The country's chief police investigator has announced a preliminary investigation into the instant-messaging platform's potential role in abetting sex crimes, according to a report from the local Yonhap News Agency. 

This comes against the backdrop of South Korea's efforts to tackle the spread of deepfake pornography that has been targeting young women, including teenagers, in the country.

The probe poses another major legal challenge to Telegram after its founder and chief executive, Pavel Durov, was arrested in France on Aug. 24 for alleged offenses related to the messaging app. 

Durov, the 39-year-old Russian-born billionaire, was arrested by French authorities following a preliminary investigation into Telegram launched on July 8. 

Similar to South Korea's investigation, French authorities were probing the platform's role in the distribution of pornographic images of minors, as well as facilitating organized crime, drug trafficking and fraud. 

Durov was reportedly accused of failing to mitigate such criminal activities on the platform. Telegram said in a statement posted on social media platform X that it abides by EU laws and that Durov had "nothing to hide."

According to Yonhap's report on Monday, Woo Jong-soo, head of the National Office of Investigation, drew connections between their case and the one in France and said there were plans to collaborate with their French counterparts and other international institutions. 

The investigation could be complicated by the fact that Telegram does not readily provide investigation data, such as account information, to any state investigative bodies, including