In South Korea, ‘devil’ sex-ring leader’s identity reveal unleashes public fury

It was the first time in Korean history that the police have unmasked a sex offender, and came after an online petition demanding to know his identity

The ringleader is accused of running a chat room that showed underage victims performing degrading sexual acts

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South Korean suspect Cho Ju-bin is accused of blackmailing dozens of victims, including children, into performing sex acts and selling the videos in chat rooms. Photo: AFP

Published: 4:13pm, 5 Apr 2020Updated: 9:43pm, 5 Apr 2020

Last month, for the first time in South Korea’s history, police in Seoul revealed the face of a sex offender to the public – a move that is seen by female activists as a change in tone for authorities in a country where police previously only disclosed the personal information of those accused of murder.

It came after nearly 2.7 million people signed an online petition to the presidential office demanding the release of the personal information of the ringleader – now known as 24-year-old Cho Ju-bin – of a group accused of child sex abuse and prostitution. Cho stands accused of forcing victims to perform degrading sexual acts and send him the videos, which he then uploaded to one of the infamous chat rooms on the private-messaging app Telegram that are collectively known as “Nth Rooms”.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in also denounced Cho’s alleged crimes as “cruel” and said the public fury in the matter was “justifiable”.

Last Wednesday, Cho stepped in front of flashing cameras at Seoul Jongno Police Station with a neck brace and a bandage on his head – reportedly from self-injury – to “thank” people for “stopping the life of a devil that couldn’t be stopped”.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said the public fury at Cho’s alleged crimes was ‘justifiable’. Photo: AFP

Some of the videos uploaded by “Baksa”, or “Doctor” in Korean – the online nickname of Cho – included scenes of victims drinking toilet water and carving the word “slave” on their bodies.

Cho has been held in detention since March 17. His crimes became publicly known on March 23 after he was charged, and a public outroar over the matter soon followed.