Digital Prison Season 1 Operator "Adjustment of Sexual Crime Sentences Needed"... Sent to Prosecution Today (Comprehensive)

Digital Prison Season 1 Operator Arrested and Sent to Prosecution
"Lost Qualification Due to Multiple False Claims"
"Not Related to Scarlet Letter"

Police Tracking Digital Prison Season 2 Operator

The first-term operator of the Digital Prison, who was caught for unauthorized disclosure of personal information of sex offenders and others, is being transferred from Daegu Metropolitan Police Agency to the prosecution on the 15th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] The first operator of Digital Prison, who was caught after publicly revealing personal information of sex offenders, was handed over to the prosecution on the 15th.

Daegu Metropolitan Police Agency announced that on the morning of the same day, they transferred Mr. A, who was arrested on charges of defamation under the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, violation of the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse, and violation of the Personal Information Protection Act, to the prosecution.

Before being sent to the prosecution, Mr. A responded to reporters' questions about why he started operating Digital Prison by saying, "I felt that sentencing adjustments were necessary for sex crimes and evolving crimes," and added, "I think I lost my qualifications because false information came out several times." He also stated that he has "no relation" to the Scarlet Letter, which reveals personal information of Telegram sexual exploitation offenders, and apologized for causing confusion.

Since March this year, Mr. A is suspected of creating Digital Prison and Instagram accounts to post personal information and court sentencing results related to suspects and persons involved in digital sex crimes, murder, child abuse, and other cases. The police concluded that among the 176 people (246 posts) whose personal information was posted without permission, there are defamation and other charges against 156 people (218 posts), excluding those who disclosed their own information.

According to the police investigation, Mr. A initially created the Instagram account 'nbunbang' to inform the public about the arrest of Cho Ju-bin, the operator of the Telegram 'Doctor's Room.' As social interest in digital sex crimes grew and followers increased rapidly, he posted personal information about other victims based on news searches and tips. However, when the Instagram account was deleted due to reports from victims, he opened a new account and started operating Digital Prison to prevent others from deleting posts.

Mr. A used Telegram, KakaoTalk, and the Digital Prison tip board to receive tips and obtained additional information through social media (SNS) searches based on already secured personal information.

The police began investigating Digital Prison in May, and through international cooperation with Interpol, they arrested Mr. A in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and forcibly brought him back to Korea on the 7th of this month. Subsequently, the police applied for an arrest warrant, and Judge Kang Kyung-ho of Daegu District Court, in charge of warrants, issued the warrant citing concerns over evidence destruction and flight risk.

Digital Prison once received public support due to the perceived leniency in investigation and punishment of sex offenders, but it began to face criticism for creating innocent victims. Victims who suffered from exposure of personal information due to incorrect data include a mixed martial artist and YouTuber, a university professor, and the bereaved family of a university student who expressed grievances over Digital Prison's disclosure and took extreme measures. Professor Lee Geon-su of Baekseok University's Department of Police Science said, "Although it was supported in the past, the behavior of Digital Prison is private punishment, not judicial punishment, and it is a criminal act that causes further victims due to incorrect information."

Meanwhile, the police are also investigating the second operator of Digital Prison. Although Digital Prison was shut down on the 8th of last month, the second operator resumed site operations three days later. However, after Mr. A was repatriated, the site was closed again, and the second operator is currently missing. The police are investigating the second operator as a possible operator or associate of the Scarlet Letter.

A police official stated, "Even after the case is transferred, we plan to continue investigating other criminal acts by Mr. A, and we will thoroughly investigate the circumstances of personal information collection and provision by those who provided information."

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