[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Choyoung] The sentencing trial for Shin Mo (33), who goes by the nickname 'Kelly' and was sentenced to one year in prison in the first trial for distributing child and adolescent sexual exploitation videos through the Telegram 'n번방' (n-bunbang), will be held on the 16th. Shin consistently claims innocence, drawing attention to what verdict the court will deliver.
The Chuncheon District Court Criminal Division 1 (Presiding Judge Jung Moonsik) will conduct the sentencing trial for Shin, who is charged with violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse (production and distribution of obscene materials, etc.), at 1:50 p.m. on the 16th.
At the sentencing hearing held on the 15th of last month, the prosecution requested a sentence of eight years in prison and a 10-year employment restriction at institutions related to children and adolescents for Shin.
At that time, the prosecution stated, "The defendant distributed sexually exploitative materials to an unspecified number of people through Telegram, which has a high possibility of spreading, and filmed sexual intercourse scenes without consent, causing irreparable harm to many victims. Nevertheless, the defendant has consistently claimed abuse of prosecution rights and maintains innocence without sincere remorse during the trial."
They added, "We ask the court to deliver a proper judgment so that the defendant pays a fitting price for the crimes committed."
During the trial, Shin’s defense attorney argued, "The defendant confessed to his crimes, and some charges have already been closed after investigation. Furthermore, the defendant actively cooperated with investigative agencies, leading to the arrest of many Telegram n번방 operators. The prosecution filed charges belatedly after re-examining obscene files already seized and stored by the authorities, which constitutes an abuse of prosecution rights and severely infringes on the defendant’s right to defense."
Previously, Shin was prosecuted for distributing 123 child and adolescent sexual exploitation videos and 676 adult sexual exploitation videos through Telegram chat rooms around July 2019 from his residence. He is also charged with filming sexual intercourse scenes with women without their consent using a camera at his residence and other locations between August 2013 and April 2017.
Meanwhile, Shin was previously sentenced to one year in prison for storing 91,894 child and adolescent sexual exploitation photos and videos from January to August 2018, selling 2,590 of them, and earning approximately 25 million KRW in illegal profits.
At that time, Shin appealed, claiming the first trial sentence was too harsh, but withdrew the appeal abruptly before the appellate court’s verdict amid public criticism related to the 'n번방' cases. The trial ended with the one-year prison sentence confirmed.
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