At Jo Joo-bin's Appeal Trial First Hearing, "40 Years Imprisonment Is Too Heavy"

Telegram 'Doctor's Room' operator Jo Joo-bin involved in sexual exploitation material distribution
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The operator of the Telegram 'Baksa Bang' distributing sexual exploitation materials, Jo Joo-bin, argued in the first appeal trial that "the sentence in the first trial is too heavy."

Jo's lawyer stated at the first hearing of this case held on the 26th at the Seoul High Court Criminal Division 9 (Presiding Judge Han Gyuhyun), "The 40-year prison sentence is excessively heavy compared to murder or other violent crimes, losing fairness." He added, "Although the original judgment listed sentencing conditions favorable to the defendant, these conditions were not considered. Since the maximum limit of fixed-term imprisonment is 45 years and another case for which he was separately indicted is still ongoing in the first trial, it means the maximum sentence has practically been imposed." He also denied the charge of organizing a criminal group, which was recognized as guilty in the first trial, and claimed partial innocence.

On the other hand, the prosecution pointed out, "The Baksa Bang organization is an unprecedented criminal organization in the history of the Republic of Korea," and "Even if released after a long prison term, the possibility of rehabilitation is slim." The prosecution demanded a life sentence for Jo in the first trial.

Jo's next trial is scheduled for March 9. Jo was indicted on charges of threatening dozens of female victims, including children and adolescents, from May 2019 to February of the following year, to film sexual exploitation videos and sell and distribute them through the internet messenger Telegram's Baksa Bang. He was also indicted for organizing a criminal group to produce and distribute sexual exploitation materials and was found guilty in the first trial. The first trial for charges of hiding criminal proceeds is still ongoing, with sentencing scheduled for the 4th of next month.

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