Co-defendant of Jo Joo-bin, 'Butta', Appears for Detention Hearing... Silent on Questions

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Kang Mo (18), known as the accomplice "Butta" of Jo Joo-bin (24, in custody), who distributed sexual exploitation materials in the Telegram chatroom "Doctor's Room," appeared at the court on the 9th for a pre-arrest suspect interrogation (warrant hearing).

Arriving at the Seoul Central District Court building in Seocho-dong, Seoul, around 10 a.m., Kang did not answer reporters' questions such as "Did you receive any instructions from Jo Joo-bin?" and "Do you have anything to say to the victims?" and entered the courtroom.

The warrant hearing for Kang began at 10:30 a.m., presided over by Judge Kim Tae-gyun, who is in charge of warrants. The decision on Kang's detention is expected to be made late in the afternoon.

Kang is suspected of using the chat name "Butta" to recruit and manage participants in the Doctor's Room and delivering criminal proceeds obtained through the Doctor's Room to Jo.

Earlier, the Cyber Safety Division of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency applied for an arrest warrant for Kang the day before. The prosecution judged that detention was necessary and requested the warrant from the court.

Kang is one of the three accomplices revealed by Jo's side. Jo's lawyer stated during the prosecution investigation that "Besides Jo, there were three Doctor's Room managers with the nicknames Butta, Samagwi, and Igiyah."

Igiyah, a currently serving army private, was detained by military police on the 6th on charges of distributing sexual exploitation materials hundreds of times in the Doctor's Room and promoting the room externally. The remaining accomplice, Samagwi, has not yet been apprehended.

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