[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Jo Joo-bin, who was sentenced to 42 years in prison for producing and distributing child sexual exploitation materials in the Telegram chatroom 'Baksa Bang,' has sparked controversy by opening a blog while incarcerated.
According to Yonhap News on the 3rd, Jo, currently imprisoned at Seoul Detention Center, has been running a Naver blog titled 'This is Jo Joo-bin' since August last year, during the ongoing appeal process, where he posted his appeal statements and position papers.
In October last year, the Supreme Court confirmed his 42-year sentence for violations including the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse, organizing a criminal group, attempted murder, quasi-rape, forced molestation, fraud, and violations of the Narcotics Control Act. He is currently serving his sentence at Seoul Detention Center.
After learning of this fact belatedly, the Ministry of Justice reportedly began investigating the circumstances under which Jo operated the blog.
Article 43 of the Act on the Execution of Sentences and Treatment of Prisoners allows correctional authorities to censor letters or restrict their sending if there is concern that the content may harm the rehabilitation or healthy social reintegration of inmates. However, it is practically difficult for correctional authorities to block Jo's letter dispatches, as they must specifically prove that his letters negatively affect rehabilitation or contain illegal content.
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