Sexual abuse ring leader sentenced to 40 years
The leader of an online sexual blackmail ring has been sentenced to 40 years in prison by a South Korean court.
24-year-old Cho Ju-bin was found guilty of running an online network that blackmailed at least 74 women, including 16 teenagers, into what authorities called "virtual enslavement."
Over a ten month period, the women were forced to send increasingly degrading and sometimes violent sexual imagery of themselves.
The case has sparked a national outcry over the prevalence of digital sex crimes in the country.
Activist Lee Hyo-rin:
"This ruling reminds me again how insufficient the sentences related to digital sex crimes had actually been before, rather than whether 40 years of imprisonment is higher or lower than expected."
Yonhap reported that Cho "lured and threatened multiple victims in various ways to produce pornography" and that the Seoul Central District Court sentenced him for violating criminal and child protection laws.
Millions of Koreans have signed petitions urging authorities to release Cho's identity and investigate not only the network's organizers, but also its participants.
Members paid up to 13-hundred dollars to see the abusive videos and images.
Following investigations into similar sexual crimes, police say more than 120 suspects have been arrested since late last year, and at least a dozen operators of online chat rooms, including Cho, have been detained.
Cho's lawyer could not be reached for comment.
