'Welcome to Video' Son Jung-woo Faces Third Arrest Warrant... But He Is Already a 'Beneficiary of Korean Law'

Police Investigate Crime Proceeds Concealment
South Korea Imposes 5-Year Prison, US Up to 20 Years
US Extradition Difficult to Reach Again
Sentencing Guidelines for Sexual Exploitation Materials Strengthened
"Criminal Protected by Korean Law" Criticism Hard to Avoid

Son Jung-woo, the operator of 'Welcome to Video,' leaving the detention center last July. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] Son Jeong-woo (25), who operated the world's largest dark web site for child and adolescent sexual exploitation materials, "Welcome to Video (W2V)," is facing a third detention hearing. However, public opinion is expected to remain cold regarding the punishment following his avoidance of extradition to the United States.

According to the police on the 7th, the Cyber Investigation Division of the National Police Agency applied for an arrest warrant for Son on the 4th on charges of violating the Act on the Regulation of Concealment of Criminal Proceeds. The pre-arrest suspect interrogation (warrant hearing) for Son is scheduled to be held on the 9th at 10:30 a.m. at the Seoul Central District Court, presided over by Judge Won Jeong-sook, who is in charge of warrants.

If the arrest warrant for Son is issued, it will be the third detention since the Welcome to Video case. Son was first arrested by the police in 2018 through international cooperation investigations and was detained after a pre-arrest warrant was issued. He was then sentenced to two years in prison with a three-year probation in the first trial and released, but was sentenced to one year and six months in prison in the second trial and was detained in court.

However, considering that this investigation itself began after Son's father filed a complaint with the prosecution in May this year to prevent Son's extradition to the U.S., it is expected that public opinion will hardly change even if Son is detained for the third time. At the time of the complaint, Son's father claimed that the prosecution did not investigate or indict Son for money laundering when investigating him for producing and distributing obscene materials in the past.

It is difficult for Son to be extradited to the U.S. again. He has already served sentences under domestic law for major crimes such as distributing sexual exploitation materials. Only the charge of money laundering of criminal proceeds remains, but if he is punished domestically for this as well, it will be impossible for the U.S. to hold him accountable again.

The problem lies in the significant difference between the punishment standards of South Korea and the U.S. In South Korea, concealing criminal proceeds is punishable by up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won. In contrast, in the U.S., money laundering can result in a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

The lenient punishment for Son, which does not align with public sentiment, has ultimately sparked social outrage. In September, the Supreme Court Sentencing Commission established sentencing guidelines allowing for a maximum sentence of 29 years and 3 months for repeated habitual production of child and adolescent sexual exploitation materials. This reflects the public outcry following the Welcome to Video case and the Telegram "Nth Room" case.

However, these guidelines cannot be applied retroactively to Son, who has already served his sentence. Even if Son is detained this time and later prosecuted and sentenced to the maximum penalty in court, public criticism is unlikely to subside easily. It is estimated that the child pornography seized from Welcome to Video amounted to about 8 terabytes (TB) in size, with approximately 250,000 videos. It has become difficult to prevent Son, who avoided extradition to the U.S., from ultimately becoming a 'beneficiary' of our legal system.

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