Korea's online sex abuse kingpin loses blog after prison award backlash
Convicted online sexual predator Cho Ju-bin, left, displays an "Intensive Character Education Excellence Award" certificate in a post on his Tistory blog, Feb. 20. Captured from Tistory
Convicted online sexual predator Cho Ju-bin faced intense public backlash after using an outside proxy to boast about receiving a prison award online, prompting the hosting platform to permanently suspend his account.
The 31-year-old is currently serving a 47-year, four-month sentence for masterminding the notorious "Baksabang" Telegram sex blackmail ring.
Cho had a post titled "About award acceptance" uploaded by proxy on his Tistory blog on Feb. 20. He attached a photo of an "Intensive Character Education Excellence Award" issued by the Gyeongbuk Correctional Institution where he is held.
Displaying a lack of remorse, Cho wrote that he had told his family to "stick it on the house refrigerator for a bit." He justified the post by calling the certificate a "legitimate award" that included a prize of cup noodles.
"An award is the fruit of my labor," Cho wrote.
He further compared his situation to that of a struggling creative.
"A solitary artist can use an award from a competition as a lantern to keep moving toward their dream," Cho wrote. "It is a treasure map. It is also a treasure that awakens the courage that I can do it too and makes me grip the steering wheel of life even tighter."
The post also featured a group card containing supportive messages from fellow inmates. Quotes included, "It is good to see you always living positively," and "I pray that you forget the past and find happiness." Another inmate wrote, "It is surreal to see you here after seeing you on TV, but it makes me feel sorry for you. Cheer up."
A group card featuring supportive messages from fellow inmates appears in a post uploaded by Cho Ju-bin on his Tistory blog, Feb. 20. Captured from Tistory
The unrepentant tone of the post quickly spread online, generating widespread outrage. Critics argued that allowing the offender to communicate freely retraumatizes his victims.
In response to the growing controversy, Tistory permanently blocked the account on Monday, citing its operational policy prohibiting the distribution of content that violates public order and morals.
Cho operated the Baksabang from May 2019 to February 2020, threatening dozens of female victims, including children and adolescents, to produce and distribute sexual abuse videos.
He was also convicted on 47 counts of producing sexual exploitation materials and raping a 16-year-old victim nine times in 2019. During his trial, Cho denied the rape charges by falsely claiming he and the victim were in a romantic relationship.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.