"'n번bang' Suspect Identity Disclosure and Photo Line Setup for Severe Punishment... Cheong Petition Surpasses 200,000 Supporters
'n번bang' Suspect A Extremely Reluctant to Reveal Identity... Women Ask, 'Why Not Put Him on the Photo Line?'"
A man in his 20s, Mr. A, who was arrested on charges of threatening minors to produce sexual exploitation materials and distributing them on the mobile messenger Telegram, is seen leaving the courtroom after the warrant hearing at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-dong, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 19th. Photo by Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Seul-gi] "If a woman who took nude photos of a male nude model at Hongdae was made to stand at the photo line, shouldn't the suspect in the 'n번방' case be made to stand at the photo line as well?"
A man in his 20s, Mr. A, who is strongly suspected to be the key suspect known as 'Doctor' in the so-called 'n번방' case?where minors and others were blackmailed into producing sexual exploitation materials and distributed through secret Telegram chat rooms?was arrested on the 18th. Following this, a petition demanding the disclosure of Mr. A’s identity and that he be made to stand at the photo line for severe punishment surpassed 200,000 signatures within three days of posting on the Blue House petition board on the 20th.
On the 17th, a petition titled "Please disclose the identity of the Telegram n번방 suspect and make him stand at the photo line" was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board. As of 9 a.m. on the 20th, 224,330 people had agreed.
The petitioner stated, "Make the perpetrator who drove others into shame and pushed young students into hell stand at the photo line. Absolutely do not let him cover his face with a hat or mask," and raised their voice, saying, "Sound the alarm against the distorted sexual perceptions of Korean men who pay 1.5 million won to watch larvae being put inside young students' bodies with 250,000 simultaneous viewers."
However, during the investigation process and while heading to the court for the detention hearing, Mr. A did not stand at the photo line.
On the 19th, Mr. A departed from Jongno Police Station in Seoul to be investigated by the Cyber Safety Division of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. After being questioned at the Seoul Police Agency, he headed to the court for the pre-trial detention hearing. There was no photo line for Mr. A during this process.
After the detention hearing that day, Mr. A appeared outside the court with his hands tied with handcuffs and wearing a jumper hood flipped over his head, showing extreme sensitivity to revealing his identity.
On the 12th afternoon, colleague model An Mo (25, female), who was found to have leaked nude photos of a male model during the life drawing class of the Department of Painting at Hongik University, is leaving Mapo Police Station to attend a warrant hearing at the Seoul Western District Court. Photo by Yonhap News
In response, the majority of women, including members of online female-majority communities, demanded that Mr. A be made to stand at the photo line just like Mr. B, a member of 'Womad' who illegally took and distributed nude photos of a male nude model at Hongik University in 2018, and called for severe punishment against Mr. A.
Community member C said, "When a man was secretly filmed at Hongdae, the perpetrator was made to stand at the photo line, but not making the male perpetrator who dehumanized and raped a woman stand at the photo line means not treating women as citizens of this country," pointing out the issue.
In May 2018, during a painting class at Hongik University, nude photos of a male nude model were distributed on the radical feminist community 'Womad,' and during the arrest process, Mr. B was exposed to the media while being transported to the court.
At that time, a petition titled "Request for state protection regardless of gender" was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board and surpassed 400,000 signatures.
The petitioner pointed out, "In South Korea, where illegal filming is the most prevalent worldwide, the first molka (hidden camera) offender to publicly stand at the photo line was a woman," and added, "When a male judge repeatedly committed molka crimes on the subway, not a single reporter went to the photo line, let alone the media."
At that time, Police Commissioner Lee Cheol-seong responded to the petition by saying, "It was not the police who made the (Hongik University illegal filming) suspect stand at the photo line. Due to high social interest, the suspect was inevitably exposed to the media while being transported to the court for the detention hearing," and apologized, saying, "Nonetheless, we regret not managing the process more carefully and will strive to minimize such exposure in the future."
On the afternoon of the 26th, women gathered at Hanbit Square in Cheonggyecheon, Seoul, through the Daum portal site's cafe "Gangnam/Hongdae Gender-Based Discriminatory Investigation Protest by Police and Prosecutors," held a rally condemning the prosecution and police for conducting an "unequal investigation" in the "Hongik University Nude Croquis Class Hidden Camera Incident." Photo by Yonhap News
When the police stated they were "considering" disclosing the identity of suspect Mr. A in the 'n번방' case, women’s groups and female citizens raised their voices demanding the disclosure of Mr. A’s identity as well.
Ms. D, a woman in her 20s, said, "Considering the nature of Mr. A’s crimes, it is only natural that his identity should be disclosed," and expressed frustration, saying, "I cannot understand why women have to protest just to have his identity disclosed. I am exhausted from being angry at the reality where men are quickly shielded when they are perpetrators."
On the 19th, the 'n번방 Sexual Exploitation Strong Punishment Rally' issued a statement at a press conference, saying, "According to Article 8, Paragraph 2 of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Specific Violent Crimes, if there is sufficient evidence to believe that the suspect of a specific violent crime, which involved cruel means and caused serious harm, committed the crime, the suspect’s face and other information may be disclosed."
The 'n번방 Sexual Exploitation Strong Punishment Rally' also pointed out, "It is very unreasonable that victims’ personal information is fully disclosed, making it difficult for them to lead normal lives, while the suspect’s personal information is not disclosed."
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