The Fate of a Man in His 20s Who Committed Sexual Exploitation of a 13-Year-Old Met in the 'Depression Gallery'

Suspected of Possessing 65 Child Sexual Exploitation Materials
Victim Live-Streams Extreme Choice on SNS in Gangnam

A man in his 20s who committed a sexual crime against a 13-year-old adolescent he met on the online community 'DC Inside' in the 'Depression Gallery,' filmed sexual exploitation materials, and distributed them was sentenced to four years in prison in the first trial.

DC Inside Depression Gallery.
Photo by Yonhap News

On the 19th, the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 26 (Presiding Judge Jung Jin-ah) sentenced Jeong Mo (29), who was detained and indicted on charges of violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse (production and distribution of sexual exploitation materials, etc.).

Additionally, he was ordered to complete an 80-hour sexual violence treatment program and was banned from employment at institutions related to children, adolescents, and persons with disabilities for 10 years.

Jeong was brought to trial in August on charges of purchasing sex from or producing and distributing sexual exploitation materials involving minors he met in the Depression Gallery from March to April.

He is also accused of illegally downloading and possessing 65 videos of child and adolescent sexual exploitation materials from February 2020 to last March.

DC Inside Depression Gallery.
Photo by DC Inside

Earlier, the victim livestreamed her situation in real-time via social networking services (SNS) from a high-rise building in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, in April, and then made an extreme choice.

The court criticized, "Instead of helping the 13-year-old child suffering from depression, he used her as a means to satisfy his sexual desire," and added, "Knowing that the victim was engaging in self-destructive behavior and needed attention and help, he paid for motel accommodation fees on her behalf, purchased sex, and filmed sexual exploitation videos."

It further stated, "It is regrettable that the victim, who ended her life, relied on the defendant who committed the crime against her until the very end."

The court judged, "Considering the impact on the victim and the circumstances of the crime, the guilt is heavier than in any other case," and "In a situation where digital sex crimes are emerging as a serious issue, the number of sexual exploitation videos possessed is not small, and it cannot be seen as merely curiosity and recklessness that led to purchasing sex and producing sexual exploitation materials."

However, the court said the sentence was determined considering that the defendant had no prior criminal record before the crime and had deposited 15 million won as bail.

※ If you have difficult concerns such as depression or if you have family or acquaintances experiencing such difficulties, you can receive 24-hour professional counseling through the Suicide Prevention Hotline (TEL)1393, Mental Health Counseling Hotline (TEL)1577-0199, Hope Phone (TEL)129, Life Phone (TEL)1588-9191, Youth Phone (TEL)1388, the youth mobile counseling app 'Da Deureojul Gae,' KakaoTalk, and others.

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