Jo Joo-bin Undergoes COVID-19 Test... First Formal Trial Scheduled for the 11th of Next Month

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] Jo Joo-bin (24), who was arrested and indicted on charges of producing and distributing sexual exploitation materials in the Telegram chatroom 'Baksa Bang,' is reportedly undergoing related testing after his movements overlapped with a correctional officer who had contact with a confirmed COVID-19 patient.

The Criminal Division 30 of the Seoul Central District Court (Chief Judge Hyunwoo Lee), which is handling Jo's case, held the second pretrial hearing for this case on the afternoon of the 14th and confirmed the defendants' attendance, stating, "Jo is having difficulty appearing today because he is undergoing a COVID-19 test."

Although Jo was not obligated to attend the first pretrial hearing, he appeared in court alongside co-defendant social service worker Kang Mo. Another accomplice, Lee Mo, known as 'Taepyeongyang,' stated he would attend after the pretrial procedures and thus did not appear in court on the first or this hearing day. On this day, Kang sat alone in the defendant's seat with his attorneys.

The court renewed the trial procedures and approved the prosecution's request to amend the indictment. Among the various charges against Jo and Kang, the amendment excluded Kang from being an accomplice in the charge of conspiring with 'Bbootta' Kang Hoon to threaten minor victims and produce sexual exploitation materials.

The prosecution also requested the consolidation of Jo's case with another co-defendant Han Mo (27), but the court did not accept this request.

Jo's defense mostly admitted to the charges but requested the court to dismiss the prosecution's request for an electronic monitoring order, arguing that "the defendant's freedom of movement is already restricted due to media exposure." Kang's attorney also stated, "While admitting all charges, the electronic monitoring order should be dismissed as there is no risk of reoffending." Lee's attorney said, "All charges are admitted."

Regarding the charges denied by Jo's side during the first pretrial hearing, the court decided to summon the related victims as witnesses for questioning in the first formal trial. The first formal trial date was set for the afternoon of the 11th of next month.

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