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| Kang Hun, a conspirator in the highly publicized Telegram chatroom sexual exploitation ring, has his face disclosed to the public in front of the Jongno Police Station in Seoul, Friday./ Yonhap |
By Kim Se-jeong
An 18-year-old boy, Kang Hun, a conspirator of the highly publicized Telegram sex exploitation ring, had his face made public, Friday, as was the case for his conspirator, Cho Ju-bin, who was indicted earlier this week.
Kang allegedly helped Cho ― who called himself "Baksa," meaning a doctorate degree holder in Korean ― operate the chatroom in which sexually explicit and abusive videos were consumed via a subscription service. He allegedly attracted new clients to the chatroom, collected entrance fees ― the payments were made with cryptocurrency ― converted them into cash and handed the money over to Cho.
"I am sorry. Sincerely, I send my sincere apologies," Kang said in front of Jongno Police Station in Seoul surrounded by camera flashes, Friday. He stood handcuffed, looking down to avoid eye contact. He refused to answer questions from journalists and was then driven to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.
Kang became the youngest suspect to have his identity made public. The police have the authority to disclose the suspect's identity given the gravity of the crime and public interest associated with it, while some voice concerns over doing this.
Cho was indicted earlier this week for blackmailing women, including underage girls, into making sexually explicit and abusive videos which he then sold subscriptions to in the chatroom on Telegram. Cho is facing 13 other charges, including sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl.
The number of paid members in the group chat was estimated to reach 15,000 and he received payments in cryptocurrency. It's unclear exactly how much Cho earned through these activities. Police confiscated 130 million won in cash, 15 cryptocurrency wallets, securities deposits and shares from Cho's home.
Police are currently tracking down the paid members of the group chat. So far 10 have been booked for possessing child pornography. Last month, one subscriber committed suicide for fear of getting caught and having his identity made public.
The police said Kang was also allegedly involved in a separate fraud case involving Sohn Seok-hee, a journalist and the president of the cable news channel JTBC. Sohn said Cho had approached him last year threating to injure him unless he paid off Cho.
The case has outraged many in Korea, who pressured the police to make Cho's identity public when he was transferred from the police to the prosecution office last month.
Women's rights advocates are pushing the court and the government to toughen up laws and punishments related to sex crimes. The Korean legal system is relatively lenient when it comes to sex crimes which has led to multiple public outcries over a number of lax punishments handed down in recent years.
