Jo Joo-bin to Face First Prosecutor Investigation as Early as Tomorrow... Detained at Seoul Detention Center

Jo Joo-bin, the operator of the 'Doctor's Room' who threatened dozens of women including minors on the internet messenger Telegram and forced them to film obscene materials which he then distributed, is coming out of Jongno Police Station in Seoul on the morning of the 25th to be sent to the prosecution. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Jo Joo-bin (24), the operator of the Telegram 'Doctor's Room' that distributed sexual exploitation materials, is expected to undergo his first prosecution investigation as early as the 26th.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office received the case against Jo, who is charged with violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse, from the police on the 25th and assigned it to the Women's and Children's Crime Investigation Division (Chief Prosecutor Yoo Hyun-jung).

A prosecution official stated, "Since procedures such as case assignment and record review must be completed, there are no plans to investigate today." Accordingly, the first investigation is expected to take place as early as the 26th.

The prosecution is also likely to consider whether to disclose information about Jo's identity and the investigation status. Given the significant public outrage over the case, some details of the investigation and Jo's status may be made public along with the prosecution's investigation progress.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office plans to hold a Criminal Case Disclosure Deliberation Committee soon to discuss the scope of information disclosure, including whether there is a need to inform the public. The committee consists of up to 10 members, with a majority being civilian members.

According to the 'Regulations on Prohibition of Disclosure of Criminal Cases,' implemented by the Ministry of Justice since December 1 last year, the prosecution is, in principle, prohibited from disclosing information related to criminal cases, including the suspect's name, age, details of the crime, and statements.

Going forward, the prosecution plans to investigate Jo for up to 20 days, including one extension of detention, before referring him to trial.

Additionally, keeping in mind the possibility of expanding the investigation, the prosecution has formed a 'Digital Sex Crime Special Investigation Task Force (TF)' consisting of 21 members, including prosecutors.

The TF is headed by Yoo Hyun-jung, head of the Women's and Children's Crime Investigation Division. The team includes 21 members: 9 prosecutors and 12 investigators from four departments?the Women's and Children's Crime Investigation Division, the Violent Crime Division, the Crime Proceeds Recovery Division, and the Immigration and Customs Crime Division (in charge of judicial cooperation). The investigation is supervised by Deputy Chief Prosecutor Kim Wook-jun.

The prosecution plans to proceed with investigations against accomplices and related parties without leniency. Efforts will also be made to prevent the spread of illegal sexual exploitation videos and to restore damages suffered by victims of digital sex crimes.

Earlier on the same day, the prosecution took custody of Jo and conducted an interview with a human rights supervisor at the level of a chief prosecutor, following the usual schedule for suspects under detention. However, due to concerns about the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), the interview was reportedly conducted via video conference.

After the interview, Jo was incarcerated at Seoul Detention Center around 2:30 p.m. Jo had appointed a lawyer during the police investigation stage, but it is reported that he did not meet with his lawyer before being transferred to the detention center on that day.

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