Jo Joo-bin and Accomplices Face Additional Charges for Organized Crime... New Phase in Doctor's Room Trial (Comprehensive)

The trial related to the Telegram "Doctor's Room," which distributed sexually exploitative materials, is starting anew. The prosecution's additional indictment of the operator Jo Joo-bin (24, detained and indicted) and seven accomplices on charges including organizing a criminal group has made a major change inevitable.

The Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 31 (Presiding Judge Lee Hyun-woo) held the third hearing on the morning of the 23rd for former Geoje City Hall official Cheon Mo (29) and concluded the arguments. However, the prosecution omitted the sentencing recommendation. Since Cheon was additionally indicted the day before on charges including organizing a criminal group, the prosecution stated it would replace the sentencing recommendation with opinions after observing future developments. This implies consideration of the possibility of case consolidation. If the court decides to consolidate the cases, Cheon will be retried together with Jo and other accomplices. In his final statement that day, Cheon said, "I deeply regret my past life lived with distorted sexual values," and added, "I am only sorry to all those who suffered. I will live righteously from now on."

The trial of another accomplice, Han Mo (27), who is scheduled for sentencing on the 25th, has also entered a new phase. Han is also one of the "Doctor's Room" members who were additionally indicted by the prosecution on charges including organizing a criminal group. The Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 30 (Presiding Judge Jo Seong-pil), which is handling Han's case, intended to conclude the trial after the second hearing last month, but postponed sentencing after the prosecution indicated its intention to file additional indictments and requested one more hearing date. The prosecution is expected to argue the necessity of consolidating the additional indictment with the current case instead of making a sentencing recommendation that day.

The trials of Jo, "Taepyeongyang" Lee Mo (16), social service worker Kang Mo (24), and "Buddha" Kang Hoon (19), who are undergoing witness examination procedures, are expected to proceed toward consolidation. These cases are being heard separately by Criminal Divisions 30 and 31.

With the additional indictments, intense courtroom battles between the prosecution and defense are anticipated. Until now, the defense attorneys have admitted all or most of the charges during the trial process. The rapid progress of related trials, such as the nearing conclusion of Cheon and Han's trials, is due to this reason. However, since they have firmly denied the charges of organizing a criminal group from the investigation stage, they are expected to present more active defense arguments in court.

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