"'Watchmen' 3 Years 6 Months Sentence Opposition... Demand for Identity Disclosure" Cheong Petition Emerges

Suwon District Prosecutors' Office Requests 3 Years and 6 Months Imprisonment for Former 'Watchman' Jeon at Sentencing Hearing on 19th
Petitioner: "A Sentence the General Public Cannot Accept"

On the 24th, a petition titled "Opposing the 3 years and 6 months sentence for the n번방 operator Watchman, demanding severe punishment and disclosure of personal information" was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board. Photo by Blue House National Petition Board capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] The prosecution has demanded a prison sentence of 3 years and 6 months for the former operator known as 'Watchman,' who threatened women including minors to produce sexual exploitation materials and illegally distributed them through the Telegram chat room called 'n번방' (n Room). Amid growing public outrage over what is being called a "lenient punishment," a petition demanding the disclosure of 'Watchman’s' identity and strict punishment has also been posted.

On the 24th, a petition titled "Opposing the 3 years and 6 months sentence demand for n번방 operator Watchman, demanding strong punishment and identity disclosure" was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board.

The petitioner stated, "It is said that Watchman was indicted and a sentence of 3 years and 6 months was demanded," adding, "He was charged with operating a site that posted illegal recordings, and it was revealed during the trial that he was additionally indicted for distributing over 9,000 sexual exploitation materials, including videos featuring children and adolescents, through n번방."

He raised his voice, saying, "Even just illegally filming and distributing videos in public restrooms would generally be considered a serious offense warranting a 3 years and 6 months sentence by the public’s legal sentiment," and "Distributing over 9,000 sexual exploitation materials involving children and adolescents and yet only demanding 3 years and 6 months is absolutely unacceptable to the general public."

He continued, "Moreover, it was not just simple distribution; he threatened many women including children and adolescents, committed sexual crimes, filmed and distributed content against their will for economic gain, and inflicted horrific violence and bodily harm that no human should endure," and "Yet, the prosecution seems to be viewing this case merely as a matter of distributing obscene materials, which is concerning," he pointed out.

On the 25th, as the vehicle carrying Cho Ju-bin, the operator of the 'Doctor's Room' who is accused of producing and distributing sexual exploitation materials of women including minors, left the Jongno Police Station in Seoul and headed to the prosecution detention center, citizens held a picket protest demanding severe punishment for Cho Ju-bin. Photo by Yonhap News

The petitioner emphasized, "No matter how lenient our country is towards sex crimes and how low the sentences are, the victims in this case are numerous, with a significant number being minors," and "The methods were brutal and involved multiple types of crimes, so demanding only 3 years and 6 months seems to be a matter of the prosecution’s will."

He added, "The 3 years and 6 months demand for Watchman is a clear mistake or lack of will on the prosecution’s part, and if they do not acknowledge this mistake and increase the sentence demand, it will inevitably raise reasonable suspicion that the prosecution might be involved in the n번방 case," and "Victims who are still in elementary school should not have to see the perpetrator released before they even graduate from middle school."

The petitioner called for an increased sentence demand, strong punishment, and disclosure of Watchman’s identity. The petition had gained over 8,600 supporters by 3:30 a.m. on the 25th, just one day after being posted.

Earlier, on the 24th, according to investigative authorities, the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office demanded a prison sentence of 3 years and 6 months for Jeon (38) at the sentencing hearing held on the 19th at the Suwon District Court Criminal Division 9 (Judge Park Min presiding). Jeon is known by the Telegram nickname 'Watchman.'

Previously, Jeon was brought to trial on charges of operating an internet site that posted videos of women illegally filmed in public restrooms in October. During ongoing investigations in the trial, it was revealed that he distributed over 9,000 illegal sexual exploitation materials, including videos featuring children and adolescents, through n번방, leading to additional charges last month.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.