"Replace Judge Oh Deok-sik Handling the 'n번방' Case," Minjung Party Stages Surprise Protest at Court

On the morning of the 30th, members of the Minjung Party held a protest at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, demanding the replacement of Judge Oh Deok-sik, who is presiding over the trial of the 'Telegram Nth Room' case involving the creation and sharing of illegal sexual exploitation videos. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Lim Juhyung] Members of the Minjung Party staged a surprise protest at the courthouse, demanding the replacement of Chief Judge Oh Deoksik of the Seoul Central District Court, who is presiding over the trial of Lee (16), known by the Telegram nickname 'Taepyeongyang,' who was arrested on charges of sharing materials similar to those in the Telegram 'Doctor's Room' case.

On the 30th, five members of the Minjung Party, including proportional representative candidate Son Sol, shouted slogans such as "Replace Judge Oh Deoksik," "Judges raised the Doctor," and "The court nurtured the 'Nth Room'" for about five minutes in the lobby on the second floor of the Seoul Court Complex in Seocho-gu, Seoul, before sitting down for a sit-in protest in the courthouse lobby.

Currently, Chief Judge Oh is handling the case of Lee, who has been indicted on charges including production and distribution of obscene materials under the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles Against Sexual Abuse. However, as it became known that Judge Oh had previously issued lenient rulings on sex crime cases, there have been growing calls to exclude him from the panel handling cases related to the Nth Room.

Previously, in 2018, during the first trial of Choi Jongbeom, the boyfriend of the late singer Goo Hara, who was charged with illegal filming, assault, and threats, Judge Oh acquitted Choi of the illegal filming charges, drawing criticism from some civic groups for lacking sensitivity to gender issues.

At that time, Judge Oh found Choi guilty only of charges including threats, coercion, injury, and property damage, sentencing him to one year and six months in prison with a three-year probation. However, regarding the charge of secretly filming Goo's body, he ruled not guilty, stating that it was "not against Goo's will."

Members of the Green Party and the Joint Action for Reform of the Sexual Corruption Cartel held a press conference titled "We Cannot Lose Women to the Sexually Corrupt Judiciary" on November 29 last year in front of the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul. / Photo by Yonhap News

After the verdict, the 'Joint Action for Reforming the Sexual Crime Cartel,' consisting of seven organizations including the Green Party's Korea Cyber Sexual Violence Response Center, held a press conference in front of the Seoul Central District Court, expressing anger by stating, "By unnecessarily detailing the specific locations and frequency of sexual intercourse in the sexual crime verdict, the court displayed the female victim's crime experience as a spectacle," and declared, "Judge Oh is unfit to stand as a judge in the Republic of Korea."

Additionally, in August of last year, Judge Oh acquitted former journalist A, who was tried on charges of sexually harassing the late Jang Ja-yeon. Judge Oh explained the sentencing rationale by saying, "The drinking party was not a place for the victim to entertain guests but a social gathering to celebrate the agency representative's birthday," and "It is difficult to see that harassment occurred."

Some civic groups criticized the ruling, saying, "The acquittal was based on an incomprehensible rationale such as 'If harassment had occurred, the birthday party atmosphere would not have been good.'

Moreover, in November of the same year, Judge Oh sentenced photographer B, who was indicted for secretly installing a hidden camera on the floor of a wedding hall for three years and committing illegal filming crimes against guests, to probation. He also sentenced C, who secretly filmed women's bodies with a small camcorder while visiting large marts in 2013, to probation.

*If you are experiencing difficulties due to illegal filming or distribution of photos or videos, threats using such materials, or sexual harassment in cyberspace, you can receive support from the Women's Emergency Hotline 1366 or the Digital Sexual Crime Victim Support Center (02-735-8994).