On the 11th, the Supreme Court approved a five-year jail term for a woman charged with producing explicit content involving sexual abuse and engaging in acts akin to rape against a child, during her involvement with 'Jagyeongdan,' South Korea's most extensive sex trafficking organization.
The Third Division of the Supreme Court (led by Chief Justice Oh Seok-jun) confirmed the decision made by the lower court, dismissing the appeal filed by Defendant Ms. A regarding allegations of membership in or managing a criminal group and breaching the Child and Adolescent Protection Act (which includes producing materials related to child sexual abuse).
Jagyeongdan was a pyramid scheme operating through Telegram, established in 2020 under the leadership of Kim Nok-wan. The organization gathered personal details from people who shared images of their bodies on social platforms, women who sought arranged meetups, and males attempting to access Telegram's 'Acquaintance Humiliation Room.' Victims were coerced into providing explicit photographs, which were subsequently utilized for producing and spreading sexually abusive content. It has been discovered that Kim Nok-wan was involved in several real-life sexual attacks as well. With 261 victims, including children, this figure surpasses triple the amount seen in the "Doctor’s Room" incident headed by Cho Joo-bin, which had 73 victims.
Kim Nok-wan, who called himself a 'pastor,' gave titles such as 'missionary' and 'potential missionary' to followers while engaging in acts of sexual exploitation. Ms. A, serving as a missionary within Jagyeongdan, was charged with creating child pornography and attempting rape against a male underage victim.
The initial and subsequent court proceedings resulted in Ms. A receiving a sentence of five years in jail along with three years under supervised release. Throughout the legal process, Ms. A asserted, "I was simply an instrument forced by Kim Nok-wan's intimidation and had no intention of participating in criminal activities," however, the highest judicial authority dismissed this claim. The ruling emphasized, "Her involvement in linking victims to Kim Nok-wan played a central and crucial role in the sexual exploitation offenses," acknowledging her as a joint offender due to her direct actions like generating explicit content for certain individuals.
Nevertheless, the Supreme Court found Ms. A not guilty of being part of a criminal organization, determining that Jagyeongdan did not have enough structural organization to qualify as a criminal group according to the Criminal Act. The court supported the previous decision, noting, "No proof exists that Jagyeongdan was capable of systematically committing crimes independently of Kim Nok-wan."
In the initial and subsequent trials related to the Jagyeongdan incident, Kim Nok-wan was sentenced to life in prison. He has filed an appeal against the decision from the second trial, and the Supreme Court is now examining the matter.
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