[Summary] "Telegram n-bunbang Suspect Disclosure" National Petition Reaches 2.14 Million Signatures... Highest Ever

"Put the Nth Room Suspect on the Photoline" Petition Reaches 2.14 Million Signatures, Record High
Demand for Public Disclosure of All 'Nth Room' Members Also Surpasses 1 Million Signatures

Photo by Cheongwadae National Petition Board

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] A Blue House petition demanding the disclosure of the identity of 'Doctor' A, the operator of the so-called 'Nth Room' who threatened minors and women to produce sexual exploitation materials and distributed them for money through secret Telegram chat rooms, has surpassed 2 million signatures. Because of this, the room is also called the 'Telegram Doctor's Room.' Another petition demanding the disclosure of the identities of all individuals involved in the 'Nth Room case' has also exceeded 1 million signatures. The petitioner pointed out that 260,000 people participated in the 'Nth Room.'

The petition titled 'Please disclose the identity of the Telegram Nth Room suspect and put him on the photo line,' posted on the 18th, had received 2,143,637 signatures as of 6:30 a.m. on the 23rd.

This is the highest number of signatures ever received. The previous record was held by the petition posted last year requesting the dissolution of the Liberty Korea Party, which had 1,831,900 signatures.

A man in his 20s, identified as Mr. A, who was arrested on charges of threatening minors and others to produce sexual exploitation materials and distributing them via the mobile messenger Telegram, is seen leaving the courtroom after a detention hearing at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-dong, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 19th. The so-called "Doctor's Room," a paid obscene channel operated by Mr. A on Telegram, contained numerous sexual exploitation videos and photos targeting minors and several women.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The petitioner demanded the disclosure of A’s identity in the petition, saying, "Put the perpetrator who drove young students into hell on the photo line."

The Telegram chat room that threatened female victims to produce sexual exploitation materials and then sold them for money is considered the origin of the so-called 'Nth Room.' Subsequently, several similar chat rooms were created. A appeared in September last year and became known as the 'Doctor's Room.'

The police arrested A on the 16th. A, in his twenties, lured minors and women by baiting them with high-paying part-time jobs, obtained nude photos showing their faces, and then blackmailed them into producing sexual exploitation materials.

He is also accused of distributing videos to paid members in his secret Telegram chat room called the 'Doctor's Room.' The number of paid members in the Doctor's Room is estimated to be in the tens of thousands.

Photo by Cheong Wa Dae National Petition Board

The petition demanding the disclosure of the identities of those who used the room, besides A, has also surpassed 1 million participants. The petition titled 'We want the disclosure of the identities of all Telegram Nth Room members,' posted on the 20th, had 1,466,820 signatures as of 6:30 a.m. on the 23rd.

The petitioner pointed out, "It is useless to punish only the administrators and suppliers repeatedly," and added, "As long as there are consumers and no punishment for their purchasing behavior, it will inevitably recur." He urged, "Please disclose the list of 260,000 criminals who participated in the 'Nth Room' and reveal who they are and where they live."

He appealed, "Please disclose the list of 260,000 criminals who participated in the Nth Room, including where they live, which workplace they belong to, their age, and what they look like."

Meanwhile, regarding A, who was arrested on the 19th, the police are reviewing whether to disclose his identity. The identity disclosure review committee consists of seven members: three internal police members and four external members, and decisions are made by majority vote.

If the identity disclosure is decided, it could be the first case of suspect identity disclosure under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment, etc. of Sexual Crimes.