Jo Joo-bin Denies Some Charges in First Trial... Does Not Want a Citizen Jury Trial (Comprehensive)

No Attendance Obligation but Lawyers and Defendants Appear in Court Directly
Partial Closed Hearings for Victim Protection by the Judiciary
Most Related Cases Consolidated... Prosecution Plans Additional Requests
20s Admit Charges of Producing Sexual Exploitation Material Under Doctor's Orders

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Jo Joo-bin (24) and his accomplices, who were arrested and indicted on charges of producing and distributing sexual exploitation materials in the Telegram chatroom 'Baksa Bang,' denied some of the charges at their first trial.

At the first preparatory hearing held on the afternoon of the 29th at the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 30 (Presiding Judge Hyunwoo Lee), Jo’s lawyer stated, "We deny two of the charges related to coercion and attempted coercion as stated in the prosecution’s indictment." The lawyer for Kang Mo (24), a social service worker also indicted alongside Jo, similarly said, "We deny the charge of conspiring to produce videos."

Only Lee Mo (16), known as Jo’s successor under the alias 'Taepyeongyang,' acknowledged the prosecution’s charges. However, Lee’s lawyer added, "He is expected to continue admitting the charges, but we will review the records further and clarify his position again at the next hearing."

The preparatory hearing is a procedure to organize issues for the trial and does not require the defendant’s attendance, but both Jo and Kang appeared in court and observed the judicial process. They showed calm expressions and occasionally glanced around the gallery. When asked by the court whether they wished to have a jury trial, both answered "No."

The trial was partially closed to prevent secondary harm to the victims. Before the prosecution read the indictment summarizing Jo and others’ charges, the court stated, "There is a significant risk that the victims’ real names or pseudonyms will be exposed," and thus switched to a closed session. The court also plans to conduct future witness examinations in closed sessions.

Jo was arrested and indicted on charges of threatening 25 women to film, sell, and distribute sexual exploitation materials from May last year to February this year. Among the 25 victims, eight were minors. Jo is also charged with attempting sexual assault and engaging in similar sexual acts by ordering an accomplice against one minor victim. The prosecution identified 14 charges against Jo. When indicting Jo, the prosecution also brought Kang and Lee to trial for their involvement in operating Baksa Bang.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The day before, the court reassigned Kang’s separate case, in which he was charged with threatening his homeroom teacher during his school days, to Criminal Division 30. Lee’s separate case, in which he was charged with creating a chatroom called 'Taepyeongyang Expedition' to distribute sexual exploitation videos, has also been consolidated there. Most of the cases related to Jo are thus gathered in Criminal Division 30.

The prosecution is reportedly planning to request consolidation of other cases, including that of Cheon Mo (29), a former Geoje City Hall official who was dismissed due to involvement in Baksa Bang, with Jo’s case. Additionally, they are expected to request consolidation of the case against Park Mo (22), a cryptocurrency exchanger who underwent a pretrial detention hearing that morning, as soon as he is indicted.

Meanwhile, at 10:20 a.m. on the same day, the first trial for another accomplice, Han Mo (27), was held at the same court’s Criminal Division 31 (Presiding Judge Seongpil Jo). Han was indicted on charges of attempting sexual assault on one minor victim under Jo’s orders and filming the act. Han admitted to all charges. The prosecution stated, "A separate investigation into Han is ongoing," and "A decision on additional indictments will be made in about a month."

The prosecution currently views Jo and his accomplices as an 'organic collective' that divided roles into four categories: victim scouting and luring, production of sexual exploitation materials, distribution of such materials, and withdrawal of profits from sexual exploitation. They are reportedly considering applying charges of organizing a criminal group.

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