Seo Ji-hyun on Son Jung-woo's US extradition refusal: "Judge, you're too patriotic... There's no way to compel attendance"

"Thinking Son Jung-woo as Superstar K... His sentence is fully served, he is going home"
"The ruling's intent is good, but we must face reality"

Prosecutor Seo Ji-hyun (Special Advisor on Gender Equality Policy, Ministry of Justice). [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Yeon-ju] Prosecutor Seo Ji-hyun (Special Advisor on Gender Equality Policy at the Ministry of Justice) sharply criticized the court's decision on the 9th to deny the extradition of Son Jeong-woo (24), the operator of the world's largest child sexual exploitation site 'Welcome to Video' (W2V), to the United States, saying, "It seems the judge thought Son Jeong-woo was a Superstar K."

Prosecutor Seo appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' that day and said, "After receiving the decision document, I reviewed it carefully, line by line. As expected, my initial impression was correct."

She explained, "Looking at this case, I judge that it meets both the purpose and requirements of criminal extradition. First, there are victims in the U.S., and 53 accomplices, including site users, are in the U.S. Therefore, it is naturally necessary for the U.S. to receive extradition and establish judicial justice in court."

While reviewing the decision document, she said, "(The decision document states) that to eradicate crimes related to child and adolescent sexual exploitation materials, thorough and root-out investigations of members are necessary, so it is necessary to secure the custody of Son Jeong-woo, the operator, in South Korea to additionally collect evidence and information needed for related investigations and actively utilize them during the investigation process." She emphasized, "This is a very good statement, but we need to look at reality."

Prosecutor Seo argued, "In reality, investigative agencies from 32 countries including South Korea, the U.S., and the U.K. have cooperated and conducted all possible investigations. In South Korea, police and prosecution investigations have officially ended, the verdict is finalized, and the sentence has been executed. There are no plans for additional investigations at all."

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]

She added, "But really, the judge is too patriotic. It seems the judge thought Son Jeong-woo was a Superstar K," and criticized, "It could be seen as if the judge thought, like Apple hiring a hacker, 'Let's utilize Son Jeong-woo to root out this crime once and for all.'"

She continued, "However, the dark web guarantees anonymity for both service providers and users. Therefore, users are identified by collecting and analyzing data remaining on the dark web using digital forensic methods or cryptocurrency tracking technologies, not because Son Jeong-woo holds members' information and refuses to hand it over," she explained.

Prosecutor Seo pointed out, "The judge said that by not extraditing Son Jeong-woo and securing his custody in South Korea, investigations could be conducted, but Son Jeong-woo has already completed his sentence. The judge refused extradition, so he went home. There is no way to forcibly summon him."

She emphasized, "Even after committing such a serious crime, not sending him to the U.S. makes 'South Korea a paradise for sex offenders.' Lightly sentencing a dangerous child sexual exploitation criminal to only one year and six months in prison actually has a more negative effect on crime prevention."

Meanwhile, on the 7th, the Criminal Division 20 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judges Kang Young-soo, Jung Moon-kyung, and Lee Jae-chan) denied the extradition of Son Jeong-woo. Accordingly, Son Jeong-woo was released that afternoon from Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang-si, Gyeonggi Province.

Son Jeong-woo was indicted on charges of operating W2V on the 'dark web,' where computer address tracking is difficult, from July 2015 to March 2018 for about two years and eight months, posting child and adolescent sexual exploitation materials and pocketing about 400 million won worth of Bitcoin.

It is known that the illegal sexual exploitation materials distributed by Son included videos involving a newborn baby just six months old. He was scheduled to be released on April 27 after serving his sentence for these charges.

However, the U.S. Department of Justice requested his compulsory extradition under the extradition treaty, delaying his release. He was immediately released following the Seoul High Court's decision to deny extradition.