Veteran Female Prosecutors Fighting Sexual Crimes Take the Lead in Nth Room Investigation

Legal Community: "Sex Crime Cases Should Be Handled by Female Prosecutors" Reflecting Social Awareness
'MeToo Movement Catalyst' Prosecutor Seo Ji-hyun Joins Ministry of Justice TF Cooperation Team
'First Chief of Gender Equality and Human Rights at Supreme Prosecutors' Office' Deputy Chief Prosecutor Yoo Hyun-jung Leads Prosecutor TF

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Attention is focused on the achievements of two female prosecutors who joined the investigation of the "Nth Room case," in which numerous women suffered mental and physical harm. They are Seo Ji-hyun (47, Judicial Research and Training Institute Class 33), Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office Seongnam Branch and Head of the Ministry of Justice Digital Sex Crime Response Task Force External Cooperation Team, and Yoo Hyun-jung (46, Judicial Research and Training Institute Class 31), Head of the Women and Children Crime Investigation Division at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office and General Team Leader of the Prosecutors' Digital Sex Crime Special Investigation Task Force.

Both prosecutors were deemed the right candidates to play a crucial role in eradicating the group that operated the Telegram Nth Room, filming and distributing sexual exploitation materials, and the Ministry of Justice and the prosecution entrusted them with important responsibilities respectively. In response, the legal community views this as a measure reflecting the social perception that female prosecutors should actively handle sex crime cases.

Prosecutor Seo is well known as the figure who triggered the "Me Too movement" by exposing sexual harassment within the prosecution. Since January, she has also served as a special advisor on gender equality policy at the Ministry of Justice. Prosecutor Seo plans to take charge of policy consultations with other government departments and, if necessary, handle media publicity work as well. If an intergovernmental task force is formed regarding the "Nth Room" case, she may attend as a representative of the Ministry of Justice. Recently, through her social media accounts and radio interviews, she has urged the establishment of measures to eradicate sex crimes related to the Nth Room case. In particular, she strongly expressed the opinion that "applying Article 114 of the Criminal Act on 'Organizing a Criminal Organization' can make it possible to sentence Cho Ju-bin and others to life imprisonment."

Deputy Chief Prosecutor Yoo also has a distinguished career in investigating sex crime cases. She worked for a long time in specialized sex crime departments, including as Head of the Women and Children Crime Investigation Division at the Daegu District Prosecutors' Office. In 2011, as a junior prosecutor at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, she investigated "spon caf?" (a type of new sex trade involving economic support in exchange for sex). Recognizing her abilities, she was appointed as the first "Gender Equality and Human Rights Officer" at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in April 2018. In this role, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Yoo was responsible for receiving reports of sex crime victims within the prosecution and providing counseling services.