"Only 18 Months Imprisonment" NYT and Other Foreign Media Criticize Son Jung-woo's Release

NYT "Same Child Porn Charges Lead to Up to 15 Years in US, Son Jung-woo Gets 18 Months"
BBC Correspondent Points Out "Same Sentence as Man Who Stole 18 Eggs"

Son Jung-woo, the operator of the world's largest child sexual exploitation site "Welcome to Video," was released on the afternoon of the 6th after the court's decision not to extradite him to the United States, leaving the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy reporters Seung-gon Han and intern reporter Juhyung Lim] As public criticism grows over the court's refusal to extradite Son Jung-woo (24), who operated the world's largest dark web child sexual exploitation site 'Welcome to Video,' to the United States, foreign media have also expressed critical reactions.

The U.S. media outlet The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 6th (local time) regarding the Seoul High Court's decision that day, stating, "It has caused great disappointment to South Korean anti-child pornography groups who had hoped Son's extradition to the U.S. would help curb sex crimes."

NYT pointed out, "The site operated by Son was the largest child pornography site existing on the dark web worldwide," adding, "In the U.S., possession of child pornography videos can result in 5 to 15 years in prison, but Son received only 18 months."

British broadcaster BBC reported, "South Korean activists have urged the court to extradite Son to the U.S., where he could receive a heavier sentence than in South Korea."

Especially, Laura Bicker, BBC's Seoul correspondent, wrote on Twitter that day, "It is said that South Korean prosecutors sought an 18-month prison sentence for a man who stole 18 eggs because he was hungry," and added, "This is the exact same sentence Son received for operating the world's largest child pornography site."

She further explained, "At least one victim was a six-month-old baby," and "South Korea rejected the U.S.'s extradition request regarding the child sexual exploitation site."

British media The Telegraph also reported, "The court said Son 'should receive appropriate punishment during the forthcoming investigation process,'" but noted, "South Korea is known to impose 'much lighter sentences' related to child pornography compared to the U.S."

On the morning of the 6th, during the third extradition hearing to decide whether to send Mr. Sohn Jung-woo to the United States, the press waited for the trial to begin through a screen at the relay courtroom set up at the Seoul High Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul. / Photo by Yonhap News

Earlier, the Seoul High Court Criminal Division 20 (Presiding Judge Kang Young-soo) decided not to approve the prosecution's request for Son's extradition to the U.S., citing concerns that sending Son to the U.S. could hinder ongoing investigations into child and youth sexual exploitation materials related to 'Welcome to Video' in South Korea.

The court explained, "This decision does not grant impunity for the crime, and we hope the criminal will actively cooperate with the investigation and receive appropriate punishment during the forthcoming investigation process."

Son was arrested and indicted on charges of distributing approximately 220,000 videos of child and youth sexual exploitation materials while operating the so-called 'dark web' Welcome to Video site, accessible only through a specific browser, from July 2015 to March 2018, about two years and eight months. During the operation of the site, he also received cryptocurrency worth hundreds of millions of won from about 4,000 paid members.

The first trial court sentenced him to two years in prison with a three-year probation, and the second trial court sentenced him to 18 months in prison.

Son was scheduled to be released on April 27, but his release was delayed after the U.S. Department of Justice requested his compulsory extradition under the extradition treaty. The U.S. federal grand jury indicted Son in August 2018 on six counts and nine charges, including distribution of child pornography.

However, with the Seoul High Court's decision to deny extradition, Son was immediately released on the 6th.