Top court confirms additional 5-year term for sex abuse ring leader on top of 42-year sentence

Cho Ju-bin, the mastermind of a notorious online sex blackmail ring, leaves Jongno Police Station in central Seoul in this file photo taken Nov. 26, 2020. Yonhap

The Supreme Court on Thursday confirmed a five-year prison term for Cho Ju-bin, the mastermind of a notorious online sex blackmail ring, for sexually assaulting a minor, adding to his 42-year sentence for distributing sexually exploitative materials involving minors.

The top court upheld a lower court ruling that convicted the 29-year-old of sexually exploiting and raping a minor in 2019, rejecting Cho's appeal and bringing his total sentence to 47 years.

The ruling comes after the court confirmed Cho's 42-year conviction in October 2021 on charges of organizing a criminal ring, blackmailing dozens of minor and adult victims into filming sexually exploitative content, and distributing them to members of a pay-to-view Telegram chat room, called Baksabang.

Cho committed his online sexual offenses from May 2019 to February 2020 before his arrest in March 2020.

A string of sexual exploitation cases centered on group chat rooms, including Baksabang, drew nationwide outcry at the time, prompting the government to announce tough measures against digital sex crimes.