Five-Year Prison Sentence Finalized for Woman in Her 30s for Sexual Exploitation and Quasi-Rape via Telegram "Jakyungdan" Channel

"Played a Key Role Despite Being Threatened"


Not Guilty of 'Criminal Organization Membership' Charges

A prison sentence has been finalized for a woman in her 30s who was brought to trial for producing child and youth sexual exploitation materials and committing quasi-rape against victims through the Telegram channel "Jakyungdan."

Supreme Court, Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

On June 11, the Third Division of the Supreme Court (Presiding Justice Oh Seokjun) dismissed both the appeal filed by defendant A and the prosecution on charges including membership in a criminal organization and violation of the Act on the Protection of Children and Youth Against Sexual Offenses, thereby upholding the original sentence of five years in prison. The additional orders restricting employment at institutions related to children, youth, and persons with disabilities for seven years and a supervision order for three years were also maintained.

Defendant A, who referred to herself as a "pastor," participated in the crimes under the direction of Kim, a man in his 30s who operated the "Jakyungdan" channel as the main perpetrator and was referred to as an "evangelist." She is known to have played a key role in searching for new victims, stealing their personal information, threatening them to produce sexual exploitation material, and managing the "exposure" channel that distributed the personal information of former members who had left the group. In particular, she conspired with Kim to threaten male victims in their teens, committing sadistic sexual offenses against children and youths, and recorded these acts.

The key issue in this case was whether A, who began her involvement under threat, could be punished as a co-principal offender. A's legal counsel argued that she was merely used as an instrument under Kim's threats to distribute her own nude photos and that there was no conspiratorial relationship.

However, the Supreme Court ruled that A had performed core and essential roles in Kim's sexual exploitation crimes and found her to be a co-principal offender, considering that she had ample time to report to investigative authorities or seek help but instead actively continued her criminal acts.

However, the court determined that "Jakyungdan" does not constitute a "criminal organization" as defined under Article 114 of the Criminal Act. The panel found that Jakyungdan did not possess an organic and sustained organizational structure involving a specific group of people, and that the group could not independently commit crimes without the direction of the main perpetrator, Kim.

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