Prosecutors Charge Jo Joo-bin's Group with 'Criminal Organization' Not 'Criminal Gang'... Increasing Likelihood of Prison Sentence (Comprehensive)

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[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The prosecution has filed additional charges against Jo Joo-bin (24, detained and indicted) and his accomplices, who operated the Telegram chatroom 'Baksa Bang' and produced and distributed sexually exploitative materials, applying the charge of 'organizing a criminal group.'

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Digital Sex Crime Special Investigation Task Force (led by Deputy Chief Prosecutor Yoo Hyun-jung) announced on the 22nd that they have preliminarily indicted Jo Joo-bin, Kang Hoon, and six other key members on charges of organizing, joining, and participating in a criminal group.

The prosecution revealed that the 'Baksa Bang organization' "consisted of a total of 38 members centered around Jo Joo-bin, who organically divided roles and produced and distributed a vast amount of sexually exploitative materials targeting a total of 74 victims, both minors and adults," and added, "They have also been indicted for individual crimes such as producing and distributing sexually exploitative materials and fraud."

Notably, the prosecution designated Jo Joo-bin and his group as a 'criminal group' rather than a 'criminal organization,' applying the charge of 'organizing, joining, and participating in a criminal group.'

A prosecution official explained, "According to precedents, to be punished as a 'criminal group,' there must be an organizational structure, but it does not require the command and control system as strict as that of a 'criminal organization,' making it a somewhat looser term."

It appears that the prosecution chose this term with relaxed requirements to increase the likelihood that Jo Joo-bin and his accomplices will receive prison sentences in court.

Article 114 of our Criminal Act stipulates that regarding the 'organization of criminal groups, etc.,' both criminal groups and criminal organizations are established for crimes punishable by death, life imprisonment, or imprisonment of four years or more, and those who join or participate in such groups or organizations are punished according to the prescribed penalties for the intended crimes. In other words, both criminal groups and criminal organizations carry the same statutory penalties.

Additionally, the prosecution stated that to recover the criminal proceeds earned by these organizations, they have obtained seizure and confiscation preservation orders on 130 million won in cash and 15 electronic wallets containing virtual currencies.

Jo’s indictment also includes fraud charges against Son Seok-hee, CEO and President of JTBC.

It was investigated that Jo, along with co-conspirators Kim (28) and Lee (24), who were previously indicted, embezzled 18 million won from President Son over four occasions between April and September 2019.

He is also charged with defrauding 30 million won from former Gwangju Mayor Yoon Jang-hyun under the pretense of compensating for the fraud damages.

The prosecution further secured additional electronic wallets and encryption keys presumed to be criminal proceeds from Jo’s mobile phone, which was recently unlocked by the police, and has requested seizure preservation for these assets.

The prosecution understands that Jo Joo-bin and others operated like a single organization, producing and distributing sexually exploitative materials by mediating mutual economic incentives such as providing sponsorship funds and profit sharing.

They concluded that the crime structure was such that Jo alone or a small number of people could not perform all roles, and that 38 members were bound in an "organic cohesive relationship" centered on Jo Joo-bin.

Furthermore, the fact that the crimes were committed over a long period of about six months, from September 2019 until Jo’s arrest on March 16, rather than being short-term or temporary acts, was cited as a background for considering them a criminal group.

According to the prosecution, the actual Jo Joo-bin group strengthened cohesion by requiring ID photo verification and certain promotional activities as conditions for joining the chatroom 'Citizen Bang,' where members mainly operated, and imposed retaliatory measures such as public exposure of personal information upon withdrawal.

They also had various internal rules such as prohibiting lurking, going silent, and participating in hostile group chats.

When 'Buda' Kang Hoon was arrested, Jo Joo-bin created a group chat called 'Bidaeui' and discussed investigation response measures and lawyer appointments with members.

Moreover, Jo Joo-bin’s group sequentially operated more than 52 'Baksa Bang' chatrooms to evade police and media pursuit, while continuously running 'Citizen Bang' as the hub of the sexual exploitation organization. The prosecution also noted that offline meetings with victims were provided as incentives to online participating members, and monetary compensation was given to members managing profits as a token of appreciation.

The prosecution plans to continue investigating the remaining members beyond those indicted. They also added that they are investigating officials related to the Telegram operator, which was a crucial tool in Jo Joo-bin’s group’s crimes.

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