Court Denies Extradition of Son Jung-woo in 'Welcome to Video' Case
"Judge Who Denied Son Jung-woo's US Extradition Should Be Disqualified as Supreme Court Justice"
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 to deny extradition to the United States, leaving Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Public criticism is rising as Son Jeong-woo (24), operator of the world's largest child sexual exploitation site 'Welcome to Video,' was released following a court decision denying his extradition to the United States. The court stated that prosecution could proceed through domestic investigation, but citizens criticize the judiciary, arguing that punishment as a child sex offender in the U.S. would be harsher.
"An Unfair Verdict to the Victims"
An international online petition on 'Change.org' titled "Son Jeong-woo, operator of the child sexual exploitation site on the 'Dark Web,' must be sent to the U.S." has been posted.
The petitioner shared a report by the British media BBC from last year, stating, "According to the U.S. Department of Justice, those indicted in this case have already been convicted and sentenced to up to 15 years in prison, but Son only received a sentence of 1 year and 6 months." They raised their voice, saying, "The sentence handed down by the Korean court to Son is unbelievable." As of 9 a.m. on the 7th, the petition had gained over 31,000 supporters.
Foreign netizens also expressed anger through the site. One commenter wrote, "It is unbelievable that the victims, whether female or male children, have experienced such a shocking ordeal," and "This is an unfair verdict to the victims. The fact that such an incident happened in the first place is a problem, but Son receiving such a short sentence is morally very wrong," voicing strong criticism.
"Disqualify Judge Kang Young-soo from Supreme Court Nomination" - 290,000 Agree on Blue House Petition
Criticism is also strong domestically. A Blue House petition demanding the disqualification of Chief Judge Kang Young-soo of the Seoul High Court Criminal Division 20, who denied Son’s extradition to the U.S., from being a Supreme Court nominee gained over 200,000 supporters within a day of posting.
On the 6th, a petition titled "Request to disqualify Kang Young-soo, Chief Judge of the Seoul High Court, from Supreme Court nomination" was posted on the Blue House petition board.
The petitioner stated, "Kang Young-soo, currently a Supreme Court nominee, presided over the 'Welcome to Video' case, the world's largest child sexual exploitation site, and simultaneously denied the extradition of Son, the site operator and a global criminal, to the U.S."
They pointed out, "A livelihood offender who stole a carton of eggs received a sentence of 1 year and 8 months. However, Son, who created the world's largest child sexual exploitation site and whose victims included infants only a few months old, received only 1 year and 6 months."
They questioned, "Is this truly a just verdict?" and expressed outrage, saying, "If someone who handed down such a verdict becomes a Supreme Court justice, just imagining what kind of country would be created is frightening. Wouldn't it be a paradise for child sex offenders?"
The petitioner further stated, "Someone who incited child sexual exploitation worldwide and profited from it serves only 1 year and 6 months and is now released into society. To claim confidently that 'investigation and trial within Korea can also resolve this' is an arrogant statement only possible because the judge is not a child and belongs to the privileged elite who will never suffer sexual exploitation in their lifetime."
Finally, they added, "Such a person who issues a verdict against public opinion and basic morality cannot be considered qualified as a Supreme Court nominee," and "I petition for disqualification." As of 9 a.m. on the 7th, the petition had gained approximately 293,700 supporters.
"Necessary for Sexual Exploitation Investigation" - Court Denies Extradition of Son Jeong-woo
Earlier that day, the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 20 (Judges Kang Young-soo, Jung Moon-kyung, and Lee Jae-chan) decided not to approve the prosecution’s request for Son’s extradition.
The court explained, "Considering the need to strictly punish sex crimes committed across borders and the necessity to eradicate child sexual exploitation crimes and international money laundering, it is difficult to conclude to extradite Son," adding, "If Son is extradited to the U.S., it is difficult to exclude the possibility that investigations related to sexual exploitation materials in Korea will be hindered."
They further stated, "The court’s judgment is that not extraditing Son significantly benefits the prevention and suppression of child and youth pornography production in the Republic of Korea."
However, the court emphasized, "This decision to deny extradition does not grant Son immunity," and "We hope Son will actively cooperate with investigations and receive appropriate punishment."
Meanwhile, Son was indicted for operating a child sexual exploitation site on the so-called 'Dark Web' from 2015 to 2018 and distributing 220,000 cases of infant sexual exploitation materials, receiving a prison sentence of 1 year and 6 months.
Son, who completed his sentence in April, was re-detained under an extradition arrest warrant as the U.S. requested his extradition. Following the court’s decision to deny extradition, Son was released from the Seoul Detention Center that afternoon.
It is reported that the site operated by Son distributed a total of 8TB (terabytes) of pornography, including about 200,000 items. There were also videos of sexual exploitation of infants as young as six months old, and on February 8, 2018, popular search terms included '%2yo' (2 years old) and '%4yo' (4 years old).
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