Sandy Springs pediatric dentist sentenced to prison for child pornography

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. - A metro Atlanta pediatric dentist has been sentenced to years in federal prison after officials say he was caught with thousands of images and videos of minors, including some 12 years old and younger, engaging in sexually-explicit activity. 

Paul Bogeun Kim, 31, of Sandy Springs, pleaded earlier this year to one charge of possession of child pornography.

The FBI arrested Kim after searching his home on Dec. 19, 2023. 

According to court documents, Kim was arrested as part of the FBI's Child Exploitation Operations Unit's investigation into a commercial sex ring targeting female minors online.

The group used blackmail to coerce the teens into sexual acts and self-harm, investigators say. The group mainly gets images of its victims on Snapchat and sells them using Bitcoin.

While following a Bitcoin address used in purchasing three files of child pornography for around $249, officials say they tracked the account to Kim's home in Sandy Springs. 

While searching his home, agents say they found about 1,948 images and 798 videos of child pornography on his devices. Several videos in Kim’s possession depicted prepubescent females engaged in sexual acts with adult males or objects, prosecutors said.

Authoriteis say that Kim worked in pediatric dental practices located in Austell, Dunwoody, and Cumming.

"Parents entrusted their children to Kim for pediatric care, while unbeknownst to them, he was amassing thousands of images depicting the sexual exploitation of minors," said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. "Our Office is committed to prioritizing the prosecution of sexual predators who exploit and abuse children and to achieving a measure of justice for families impacted by these horrific sex crimes."

Following his guilty plea, a federal judge sentenced Kim to three years and two months in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release.