'Welcome to Video' Son Jung-woo, Extradition Hearing Next Month... To Be Held Publicly

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The extradition hearing to decide whether to send Son Jeong-woo (24), the operator of the child sexual exploitation site 'Welcome to Video,' to the United States will be held next month.

The Seoul High Court announced on the 29th that the extradition hearing for Son will be held on the 19th of next month, presided over by the Criminal Division 20 (Chief Judge) of the court. A court official stated, "The hearing will be conducted publicly in accordance with relevant laws."

Son, who was sentenced to 1 year and 6 months in prison for charges including production and distribution of obscene materials under the Youth Protection Act, was originally scheduled to be released on the 27th. However, he has not been released from detention since the Seoul High Court issued an extradition detention warrant for the United States on the 20th.

The court must decide whether to extradite Son within two months. The extradition hearing is a single-instance process with no appeal. Once the hearing results are out, the Minister of Justice will make the final decision on extradition and enforce it.

Son was indicted for operating the 'Welcome to Video' site on the Dark Web, accessible only through a special browser, from July 2015 to March 2018, distributing sexual exploitation materials.

Son is also indicted by a U.S. court on nine charges including distribution of child pornography. However, even if extradited to the U.S., he is expected to be tried only for international money laundering charges that do not overlap with crimes punishable under Korean law and confirmed guilty verdicts domestically among the crimes subject to the extradition request.

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