Public anger growing over child porn site operator's annulment

Son Jung-woo, who was convicted of running one of the world's biggest child porn sites, is released from Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, July 6, after the Seoul High Court decided to reject his extradition to the United States.

By Jun Ji-hye

Son Jong-woo, who operated one of the world's biggest child porn sites, is reigniting public anger after it was reported that his marriage was recently annulled following a suit filed by his former wife.

This is raising suspicions that Son used a fake marriage to seek a sentence reduction.

Son operated the site “Welcome to Video” on the dark web, inaccessible to those using regular web browsers, until he was indicted with physical detention here in March 2018 for producing and distributing child pornography since 2015.

The 24-year-old was found guilty but only sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for three years, and was released.

The prosecution appealed the sentence, but prior to this being heard, Son registered the marriage.

During the appeal hearing, Son asked the judge for leniency, claiming that he had to support his “family.”

This time, he was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Neither the prosecution nor Son decided to appeal for a Supreme Court ruling on this.

According to last Tuesday's episode of “PD Note,” an MBC investigative news show, an acquaintance of Son postulated that he may have arranged a fake marriage in a bid to get a lenient sentence at the appeal hearing.

“Son's father worked as an international marriage broker. Son may have registered a marriage with a foreign woman,” the acquaintance was quoted as saying.

Another acquaintance said that nobody around Son knew about the marriage.

Regarding the issue, Son's father denied the allegations of a fake marriage, claiming his son's former wife filed for annulment because her parents opposed the marriage, according to the news show.

Son's case drew significant attention internationally as he had also been indicted by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia in the United States in August 2018, with the U.S. authorities requesting his extradition.

On July 6, the Seoul High Court rejected the request from the United States to extradite Son, saying having him in Korea would be more helpful for the country's fight against child pornography.

Son was released on the day the court decision came out.

At the time, his father said he thanked the court for “the wise decision,” and felt “sorry for the victims.”