Second-in-command of Baksa Room, Kang Hoon, Sentenced to 15 Years Imprisonment, Appeals Second Trial Verdict

Kang Hoon, known as 'Butta,' who is accused of assisting operator Jo Joo-bin in the production and distribution of sexual exploitation materials in the Telegram 'Doctor's Room.'

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin, Legal Affairs Specialist] Kang Hoon (20), known as 'Buddha,' who was arrested and indicted for assisting operator Jo Joo-bin in producing and distributing sexual exploitation materials on the Telegram 'Doctor's Room,' and was sentenced to 15 years in prison in both the first and second trials, has appealed to the Supreme Court.

According to the legal community on the 31st, Kang filed an appeal through his lawyer on the 26th to the Seoul High Court Criminal Division 9 (Presiding Judges Moon Gwang-seop, Park Young-wook, Hwang Seong-mi), dissatisfied with the appellate court's 15-year prison sentence.

Kang was indicted for conspiring with Jo from September to November 2019 to threaten 18 victims, including 7 children and adolescents, to film and produce sexual exploitation videos, and for selling and distributing them for profit on the Telegram Doctor's Room.

In particular, Kang was investigated as a key accomplice who helped manage and operate the Doctor's Room from the stage when Jo created it and began producing and distributing sexual exploitation materials, effectively making him the second-in-command of the Doctor's Room. The prosecution also applied charges of organizing and participating in a criminal organization to Kang, as with other members of the Doctor's Room group.

Earlier on the 26th, the appellate court stated, "The crime in this case involved sexually enslaving women, children, and adolescents, treating them as objects of trade or means of economic gain, violating their human rights to satisfy wrongful sexual desires. Their identities were exposed on the internet, and videos continued to be produced and distributed, causing irreparable harm," and sentenced Kang to 15 years in prison, the same as the first trial. Additionally, as in the first trial, Kang was ordered to complete 40 hours of sexual violence treatment programs, disclose and notify personal information for 5 years, and was restricted from employment at child and youth-related institutions and welfare facilities for the disabled for 5 years.

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