Over 370,000 Participants Sign National Petition to Exclude Judge Odeok-sik from the 'Nth Room Case'

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The number of participants in the Blue House national petition requesting the exclusion of Seoul Central District Court Chief Judge Oh Deok-sik, who is in charge of the 'Nth Room' case involving the creation and sharing of illegal sexually exploitative videos, has surpassed 300,000.

As of 5 p.m. on the 29th, more than 377,000 people have participated in the national petition titled "We oppose Judge Oh Deok-sik in charge of the Nth Room and request his disqualification from the judge position."

The petitioner stated in the petition, "Judge Oh was the judge who caused secondary harm to the late Goo Hara and gave lenient sentences such as fines and suspended sentences to numerous sex offenders, which drew strong public criticism," and requested, "Please exclude him so that we never have to see him in this courtroom."

Currently, Chief Judge Oh Deok-sik of Criminal Division 20 at Seoul Central District Court is presiding over the case of Lee (16), who was indicted on charges including production and distribution of obscene materials under the Child and Youth Sexual Protection Act for creating and operating a chatroom called 'Pacific Expedition,' similar to the 'Nth Room.'

During the trial of the late Goo Hara case, Judge Oh was criticized for "lacking gender sensitivity" after insisting on personally reviewing a sex video used for blackmail by Goo’s ex-boyfriend Choi Jong-beom. Judge Oh recognized only the charges of blackmail, coercion, injury, and property damage as guilty against Choi, who was indicted for illegal filming, assault, and threats, sentencing him to 1 year and 6 months in prison with a 3-year suspended sentence. Regarding the charge of secretly filming Goo’s body, he ruled not guilty, stating "it was not against Goo’s will."

Meanwhile, on the same day, a petition was also posted requesting the disclosure of personal information of Kang, a public service worker who conspired to murder a female child along with Jo Joo-bin (24), the operator of one of the 'Nth Rooms,' the Doctor’s Room. As of 5 p.m., about 290,000 people had joined this petition within less than a day since it started.

The petitioner, who introduced herself as the mother of the girl targeted for murder conspiracy and Kang’s homeroom teacher in the first year of high school, wrote that Kang was unable to socially interact during his student days, and although she sincerely counseled him, he gradually became obsessed with her, which led her to distance herself and eventually sparked hatred.

The petitioner added that although Kang was imprisoned from January 2018 to March 2019 following her accusation, after his release he worked as a public service worker, discovered the identities of her and her family, and continued to threaten that he might kill the child.

The petitioner, who strongly demands "the disclosure of personal information not only of Jo Joo-bin but also of the Doctor’s Room members," concluded the petition by saying, "If personal information is not disclosed, they will see this national petition requesting disclosure and threaten me and my child again. I want to live an ordinary and happy life in a safe country."