I Love You : Preying on the innocence

Adult actors posed as adolescents on random chat apps. Tons of texts, video calls and offers for paid dates or sex poured in. One man approached the actor posing as the youngest and attempted to “groom” her telling like “I love you more than anyone,” and “I want to be your first sex partner.” These online predators made the girls watch them masturbate, threatened them to send explicit photos and solicited sex from runaway teenagers in exchange for a meal and a place to sleep. The documentary lays bare the sordid underbelly of the online world that our children are exposed to.

  • Do-Young Kim
    Director
  • Dongjin Hwang
    Producer
  • Seungchul Lee
    Producer
  • Hye-mi Park
    Key Cast
  • Dayu Jeong
    Key Cast
  • Se-hee Lee
    Key Cast
  • Sang Gu, Lee
    Camera Director
  • Seung Woo Kang
    Camera Director
  • Geun Hwan Kim
    Editor
  • Sung-joo Han
    Set design
    KBS Art Vision
  • Do-young KIM
    Writer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Experimental, Feature, Television
  • Genres:
    digital sexual grooming, sex crime
  • Runtime:
    48 minutes 20 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 2, 2022
  • Country of Origin:
    Korea, Republic of
  • Country of Filming:
    Korea, Republic of
  • Language:
    Korean
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Telly Awards
    New York
    United States
    May 28, 2023
    TV- Documentary: Long Form
Distribution Information
  • KBS Media
    Sales Agent
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Do-Young Kim

“I want to make documentaries that are riveting, but uncomfortable to watch. If they make you want to curse and wish the world would change, then I consider my goal accomplished. That discomfort stems from having to face the grim reality that we would rather turn a blind eye to.”
Kim Do-young is a reporter for Korea’s national broadcaster KBS. She writes new articles and makes current affairs documentaries. Her documentaries have garnered many domestic and international awards, including the ABU Prize in 2018 and the WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival in 2019.

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Director Statement

This documentary delves into the dark world of online child grooming and the damage inflicted on young innocent victims, which has never been exposed in detail before. It won numerous best program awards in Korea. Some of the perpetrators featured in the program have been arrested or are undergoing investigation. The program served as the impetus for an exhibition of art works produced by young victims of sexual exploitation and discussions of related legislation. The expert committee that evaluates KBS programs commented, “The documentary demonstrates the essence of investigative journalism, exposing how digital sex crimes against minors take place and can lead to offline sexual assault.”