The Appeal Trial for Kelly, Successor of GodGod's Nth Room, Postponed

Application for Resumption of Prosecutorial Argument

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The appeal trial of 'Kelly,' who inherited the Telegram-based sexual exploitation video sharing room 'n번방' from 'GodGod,' the originator of the case, has been postponed.

The Criminal Division 1 of Chuncheon District Court (Chief Judge Daesung Kim) changed the appeal trial date of Shin Mo (32), nicknamed 'Kelly,' who was indicted for violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse (production and distribution of obscene materials), from 10 a.m. on the 26th to 2:40 p.m. on the 22nd of next month.

The court accepted the prosecution's request to resume arguments and made this decision.

The prosecution stated, "At the time of indictment, there was no evidence to recognize the connection to the 'n번방' case," adding, "We will conduct supplementary investigations regarding the connection to the 'n번방' case and accomplice status to hold criminal responsibility commensurate with the severity of the crime."

Shin was indicted for storing approximately 91,890 obscene materials featuring children and adolescents at his home in Osan, Gyeonggi Province, from January to the end of August last year, and selling about 2,590 of them through Telegram, earning an illicit profit of 25 million won.

In the first trial, Shin was sentenced to one year in prison, ordered to complete 40 hours of sexual violence treatment programs, and banned from employment at child and youth-related institutions for three years each. He was also ordered to forfeit 23.97 million won earned from selling obscene materials.

Shin appealed the original verdict, claiming that the sentence was too harsh.