Court ruling sends warning to similar perpetrators
A Seoul court delivered a heavy punishment against a person involved in one of the nation's largest online sex abuse rings. The Seoul Central District Court sentenced mastermind Cho Ju-bin to 40 years in prison and fined 100 million won ($90,000), after he was found guilty of violating laws to protect minors from sexual offenses and of running a trafficking ring centered around "Baksabang," an online chat room on Telegram. He was also found guilty of producing and selling videos with explicit and exploitative content.
For 10 years after his release from prison Cho will also be listed on the sex offender registry and will be banned from working at child-related facilities for the same period. He also must wear an electronic bracelet for 30 years. Cho's accomplices were also sentenced to up to 15 years in prison.
We believe Cho and the accomplices deserve the heavy punishment though it may fall short of assuaging the victims of their criminal activities. They inflicted irreparable damage on these women and girls by luring them, threatening them and releasing their private information online.
The court, explaining the reason for the tough sentence, cited the gravity of the crimes on 14 counts, and the sheer number of the victims coupled with the damage suffered, in addition to the evil influence the group posed to society. "Cho has also failed to show repentance for his crimes," the court said.
The recent ruling has drawn attention as it shows the court's intention to strictly crack down on such sex crimes. The sentencing can be regarded as heavier than expected given that many heinous murderers were subject to less than 30 years in prison.
The ruling is also meaningful as it found the defendants guilty of organizing, admitting and acting in a criminal ring though Cho and his accomplices claimed that Baksabang was not a criminal ring while acknowledging some of their criminal activities. The court said, "Members of the Basagbang clearly recognized the purpose of the chat room ― threatening minors and juveniles so they could produce and sell sexually abusive videos. They acted only for that purpose in the room."
There are many other organized groups engaged in producing and distributing abusive videos. The investigative authorities have been suffering setbacks as the groups are operated by people using aliases and messenger programs with servers based abroad. The law enforcement authorities will be able to secure useful tools in their bid to crack down on potential criminal rings after the recent ruling recognized Baksabang as a criminal organization.
There are growing calls for diverse and proactive measures to cope with increasing online sexual crimes. Some lawmakers are pushing for the legislation of a bill to allow investigators to "sneak" into possible digital crime sites. The recent ruling proved that Cho's remark, "sexual abuses on Telegram are neither caught nor punished," is totally wrong. Stern measures should be taken to prevent similar online sexual crimes.
A Seoul court delivered a heavy punishment against a person involved in one of the nation's largest online sex abuse rings. The Seoul Central District Court sentenced mastermind Cho Ju-bin to 40 years in prison and fined 100 million won ($90,000), after he was found guilty of violating laws to protect minors from sexual offenses and of running a trafficking ring centered around "Baksabang," an online chat room on Telegram. He was also found guilty of producing and selling videos with explicit and exploitative content.
For 10 years after his release from prison Cho will also be listed on the sex offender registry and will be banned from working at child-related facilities for the same period. He also must wear an electronic bracelet for 30 years. Cho's accomplices were also sentenced to up to 15 years in prison.
We believe Cho and the accomplices deserve the heavy punishment though it may fall short of assuaging the victims of their criminal activities. They inflicted irreparable damage on these women and girls by luring them, threatening them and releasing their private information online.
The court, explaining the reason for the tough sentence, cited the gravity of the crimes on 14 counts, and the sheer number of the victims coupled with the damage suffered, in addition to the evil influence the group posed to society. "Cho has also failed to show repentance for his crimes," the court said.
The recent ruling has drawn attention as it shows the court's intention to strictly crack down on such sex crimes. The sentencing can be regarded as heavier than expected given that many heinous murderers were subject to less than 30 years in prison.
The ruling is also meaningful as it found the defendants guilty of organizing, admitting and acting in a criminal ring though Cho and his accomplices claimed that Baksabang was not a criminal ring while acknowledging some of their criminal activities. The court said, "Members of the Basagbang clearly recognized the purpose of the chat room ― threatening minors and juveniles so they could produce and sell sexually abusive videos. They acted only for that purpose in the room."
There are many other organized groups engaged in producing and distributing abusive videos. The investigative authorities have been suffering setbacks as the groups are operated by people using aliases and messenger programs with servers based abroad. The law enforcement authorities will be able to secure useful tools in their bid to crack down on potential criminal rings after the recent ruling recognized Baksabang as a criminal organization.
There are growing calls for diverse and proactive measures to cope with increasing online sexual crimes. Some lawmakers are pushing for the legislation of a bill to allow investigators to "sneak" into possible digital crime sites. The recent ruling proved that Cho's remark, "sexual abuses on Telegram are neither caught nor punished," is totally wrong. Stern measures should be taken to prevent similar online sexual crimes.
