[Summary] Telegram 'Baksa Bang' Operator Identity Revealed... 25-Year-Old Jo Joo-bin

Activities as a student newspaper reporter during enrollment and graduation at a metropolitan area university

SBS '8 News' has disclosed the personal information of Jo Joo-bin, the key suspect in the 'Telegram Nth Room' case. / Photo by SBS Broadcast Capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] The identity of the Telegram 'Nth Room' operator 'Doctor' has been revealed. His name is Jo Joo-bin. He is a 25-year-old male this year. Jo Joo-bin is accused of threatening minors and women to produce sexually exploitative materials and selling them through secret Telegram chat rooms. The police plan to disclose Jo Joo-bin's identity today (24th). A Blue House petition demanding the disclosure of Jo Joo-bin's identity surpassed 2.4 million supporters this morning.

SBS News revealed on the 23rd the identity of Jo Joo-bin (25), the key operator of the 'Doctor's Room,' who threatened children and adolescents to create and distribute sadistic sexual exploitation videos.

According to reports, Jo Joo-bin majored in Information and Communications at a technical college in Incheon and also served as the editor-in-chief of the school newspaper.

A man in his 20s, identified as Jo, who was arrested on charges of threatening minors and others to produce sexually exploitative materials and distributing them via the mobile messenger Telegram, is seen leaving the courtroom after his warrant 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 Jo on Telegram, contained numerous sexually exploitative videos and photos targeting minors and several women.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

It is known that Jo started committing sexual exploitation crimes by creating the 'Doctor's Room' on Telegram from September 2019. He threatened minors and women to produce videos and sold them for money through secret Telegram chat rooms. The payments were made exclusively in cryptocurrency.

He operated the chat rooms in three tiers according to severity, charging entrance fees of approximately 200,000 won, 700,000 won, and 1,500,000 won worth of cryptocurrency respectively. Some women were forced to write words like 'slave' and 'doctor' on their bodies and post nude photos, indicating the cruelty of Jo's crimes.

Photo by Cheongwadae National Petition Board

As a result, calls for severe punishment of Jo are growing louder. As of 7 a.m. today (24th), 2,495,636 people have agreed to the Blue House petition demanding his strict punishment.

The petitioner stated, "Put the perpetrator who caused shame to others and drove young students into hell on the photo line. Do not let him cover his face with a hat or mask under any circumstances."

They continued, "There were 250,000 simultaneous connections. He threatened victims to perform sexual acts in front of their families," and appealed, "Sound the alarm on the distorted sexual perceptions of Korean men."

The petitioner further argued, "If this is not a demon, then what is? For those who lightly disregard others' shame, the word human rights is a luxury. How long will we just watch? It is unreasonable to raise daughters in such a country."

Meanwhile, the police will hold a personal information disclosure review committee this afternoon (24th) to decide whether to disclose Jo's real name, face, age, and other personal information. The review committee, composed of three internal police members and four external members, will make the decision. If Jo's identity is disclosed, it will be the first case for a sexual violence crime.