'Nth Room' and 'Doctor Room' Ruled as Criminal Organizations... The Final Verdict for GodGod and BooTta [Seochodong Law Story]

Telegram chat room 'Nth Room' operator Moon Hyungwook (left), known as 'GodGod,' and Kang Hoon, known as 'Butta,' who was the second-in-command of the 'Doctor Room' / [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy, reporter Bae Kyunghwan] "Considering various sentencing factors such as the defendant's age, character, environment, relationship with the victims, motives, methods and results of the crime, and circumstances after the crime, it cannot be said that the lower court's decision to uphold the first-instance verdict was unjust."

On November 11, 2021, the Supreme Court handed down final heavy sentences to Moon Hyungwook, known as 'GodGod,' the operator of the Telegram chat room 'Nth Room,' and Kang Hoon, known as 'BooTta,' the second-in-command of the 'Doctor Room.' From the first trial to the Supreme Court, every panel of judges treated their crimes with severity. Even after considering various sentencing factors, the courts determined that the punishments imposed on them were not excessive.

In particular, those who committed digital sex crimes in an organized manner, such as in the 'Nth Room' and 'Doctor Room' cases, were recognized as criminal organizations. The court accepted the prosecution's argument that these individuals constituted a criminal group, as they divided roles for the purpose of committing crimes, established internal rules, and went far beyond simply sharing obscene materials. The group members assigned roles among themselves for criminal purposes and exchanged compensation for their efforts.

Moon Hyungwook, known as 'GodGod,' who operated the 'Nth Room' on Telegram and was charged with producing and distributing sexually exploitative videos, was indicted for violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Youth Against Sexual Offenses (production and distribution of obscene materials, among other charges). The Supreme Court upheld the lower court's sentence of 34 years in prison.

Moon was found guilty of coercing 21 child and adolescent victims to film sexually exploitative videos of themselves on 1,275 occasions between January 2017 and early 2020, then receiving, producing, and possessing these materials. Between September 2018 and March 2019, he also threatened three parents of minor victims with the possibility of distributing sexually exploitative videos. In November 2018, he forced two victims to carve specific words into their bodies with a weapon.

According to the prosecution, between February 2019 and January 2020, Moon, under the alias 'GodGod,' uploaded and distributed 3,762 sexually exploitative videos to the Nth Room on Telegram. From September 2018 to July 2019, he collected personal information from eight victims by sending them links to fake social networking service (SNS) login pages, and used this information to illegally access the SNS accounts of four victims. He was also charged, along with six accomplices, with producing or attempting to produce sexually exploitative videos by coercing children and adolescents to commit sexual assault or similar acts.

In the first trial, Moon was sentenced to 34 years in prison, 10 years of disclosure of personal information, 10 years of employment restrictions in institutions related to children and adolescents, and 30 years of electronic monitoring (ankle bracelet). Both the defendant and the prosecution appealed, but the court dismissed the appeals.

Kang Hoon, known as 'BooTta,' who was tried for conspiring with Cho Joo-bin, the operator of the 'Doctor Room,' to produce and film sexually exploitative videos of children and adolescents, also had his 15-year prison sentence upheld by the Supreme Court.

Kang was charged with conspiring with Cho to produce sexually exploitative materials of two minors through threats, and distributing and displaying sexually exploitative materials of five minors for profit. He was also charged with distributing and displaying sexually exploitative materials of 26 adult victims. Notably, Kang was additionally indicted for participating in the Doctor Room criminal organization. He also faced charges of defrauding former Gwangju Mayor Yoon Janghyun of 10 million won in collusion with Cho, and separately, of humiliating an acquaintance by creating doctored photos.

Investigations revealed that Kang played the most pivotal role among Cho's accomplices. He acted as the second-in-command, managing and promoting the Doctor Room and withdrawing proceeds from sexual exploitation under Cho's direction.

In the first trial, the court, in line with its ruling on Cho, determined that the Doctor Room was a criminal organization with the common purpose of producing child and adolescent pornography, with each member assigned specific roles, and sentenced Kang to 15 years in prison. The appellate court also upheld the 15-year sentence, along with 40 hours of sexual violence treatment programs, five years of disclosure and notification of personal information, and five years of employment restrictions in institutions related to children, adolescents, and welfare facilities for the disabled. Kang was additionally indicted in April, along with Cho, for threatening female victims to send nude photos, and is currently undergoing a first-instance trial, which could further increase his sentence.

Previously, in October, the Supreme Court upheld the lower court's sentence of 42 years in prison for Cho Joo-bin, the operator of the 'Doctor Room.' Cho was tried for producing sexually exploitative videos of eight minors and 17 adults between August 2019 and February 2020 through threats and other means, and selling and distributing them for profit via Telegram. In September 2019, he was additionally indicted for organizing the 'Doctor Room' as a criminal group with other members to commit crimes of producing and distributing sexually exploitative materials by threatening women.

During the trial, Cho admitted to producing and distributing sexually exploitative materials but argued that the Doctor Room was not a criminal organization and claimed that some of the prosecution's evidence was illegally obtained, which provoked public outrage. Through his father, he released a letter stating, "During the trial, I apologized to the victims through letters of reflection and remained silent before society. Although it is late, I now sincerely address everyone. I am sorry. I was wrong." However, the court's judgment did not change.

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