'Gatgat' Moon Hyung-wook Indicted and Detained on 12 Charges... Expelled from University (Comprehensive)

'Gatgat' Moon Hyung-wook Indicted and Detained on 12 Charges Including Violation of the Juvenile Protection Act
3 Additional Charges Including Special Injury Added After Supplementary Investigation
Affiliated University Also Decides to Expel Moon
School Requested Statement from Moon at Detention Center but Received No Reply
Expulsion Procedure to Be Finalized Within Days

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Song Seung-yoon, Lee Jung-yoon] Moon Hyung-wook (24), the creator of the Telegram sexual exploitation chatroom 'n-bunbang' and known as 'GodGod,' has been indicted while in custody. Separately, Moon is also expected to be effectively expelled from the university he was attending (see our June 5 exclusive article "'GodGod' Moon Hyung-wook also expelled from university").

The Andong Branch of Daegu District Prosecutors' Office announced on the 5th that Moon was formally charged while in custody for violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles Against Sexual Abuse (Child and Youth Sexual Protection Act) and other charges. The prosecution added three charges including special injury to the original nine charges, indicting Moon on a total of 12 counts.

Moon is accused of producing and possessing sexually exploitative obscene materials involving women, including minors, 1,285 times from January 2017 to July this year. From February last year to January this year, he used the nickname 'GodGod' in Telegram chatrooms and created the so-called 'n-bunbang' sexual exploitation material sharing chatroom, distributing 3,762 such materials.

He is also charged with threatening three parents of minor victims from September 2018 to March last year by threatening to distribute sexually exploitative obscene materials, and with forcing two victims in November 2018 to carve specific phrases on his body with a sharp weapon.

Moon conspired with six accomplices to sexually assault or engage in similar sexual acts with minors, producing or attempting to produce sexually exploitative obscene materials. Five of the accomplices have already been indicted and sentenced.

He also sent fake login page links on social networking services (SNS) to eight victims to collect personal information and unlawfully logged into four accounts using that information.

The prosecution explained that after receiving the case from the police and conducting supplementary investigations, they added three charges including special injury to the original nine charges related to violations of the Child and Youth Sexual Protection Act.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Separately from the criminal trial process, Moon will not be spared from expulsion from the university he attended. Hankyung National University, where he was enrolled, has decided to impose the highest level of disciplinary action, expulsion, on Moon, and only the final approval from the university president remains. This is the second expulsion among major student-involved figures in the n-bunbang case, following Kang Hoon (19), known as 'BooTta,' an accomplice of 'Doctor's Room' operator Cho Ju-bin (24), who was expelled from his university.(see our June 3 exclusive article "Doctor's Room accomplice 'BooTta' Kang Hoon expelled from affiliated university")

According to Asia Economy's comprehensive reporting, Hankyung National University held a student disciplinary committee meeting on the afternoon of the 2nd and reached a final decision to expel Moon. Once the university president's approval is completed and the expulsion is finalized, the student will be officially dismissed, making re-enrollment impossible.

Born in 1995, Moon was a senior in a science and engineering department at the university. The department requires 170 credits for graduation, and Moon had earned 135 credits so far. Under normal circumstances, he could have graduated next year by completing the remaining credits and his graduation project exhibition.

However, as the police investigation tightened near his graduation, he suddenly informed his academic advisor of his intention to take a leave of absence and cut off contact with the university. However, he never actually submitted a leave of absence application, so he is still officially enrolled.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Moon applied for military leave on February 3, 2016, completed his service, and returned to school on February 28, 2018. Considering that Moon operated the n-bunbang under the nickname 'GodGod' from February 2019 to January this year, it is presumed that he ran the sexual exploitation chatroom while attending school after his return. Since the offenses were committed during his enrollment, there are sufficient grounds for disciplinary action.

According to the university's regulations on student rewards and disciplinary actions, the school may impose disciplinary measures such as probation, suspension for a fixed period, indefinite suspension, and the highest level of discipline, expulsion, on students who commit acts warranting discipline. Grounds for discipline include damaging the university's reputation, threats, assault, sexual harassment, acts beyond student status, or causing social controversy.

Hankyung National University previously sent a written request to the detention center where Moon is held, asking him to submit a statement by the 27th of last month, but no response was received. The university also requested investigation results from the police but was informed that such information could not be disclosed. Ultimately, after reviewing media reports related to Moon, the university reached this decision.

After the university president's final approval, Hankyung National University will expel Moon and issue a disciplinary action notice to him. A university official stated, "We are currently conducting legal reviews to ensure there are no issues in the disciplinary decision process."