Geoje City Initiates Severe Disciplinary Action Against Grade 8 Public Official Involved in 'Baksa Room' Case

Poem, Request for Severe Disciplinary Action Such as Dismissal or Removal to Gyeongnam Provincial Personnel Committee

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 involving 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

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] Geoje City in Gyeongnam has initiated severe disciplinary procedures against A (29), a level 8 public official at Geoje City Hall, who has been identified as one of the operators of the so-called 'Baksa Room,' a Telegram sexual exploitation video sharing chatroom.

According to Geoje City on the 30th, after receiving the case disposition results for A from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on the 27th, the city requested the Gyeongnam Provincial Personnel Committee to impose severe disciplinary actions such as dismissal or termination.

Earlier, A was arrested in January on charges including violation of the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse (production and distribution of obscene materials). In response, the city was notified of the investigation status by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and suspended the official from duty.

The city judged that this incident goes beyond a personal deviation and directly affects the honor of over 1,200 public officials, deciding to establish and implement strong measures to prevent recurrence.

The city also plans to separately verify whether employees in the department where A worked were asked to participate in the same crime or if they were aware of the 'Baksa Room.'

Byun Gwang-yong, Mayor of Geoje City, stated, "It is difficult to express how sorry and devastated I am that a public official belonging to our city has caused social controversy during a time when anxiety is already high due to the COVID-19 situation. We will do our utmost to establish thorough recurrence prevention measures and strengthen public service discipline."

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