Ministry of Justice: "No Place in the World Is a Safe Haven"
Suspected of Distributing Obscene Materials and Advertising Prostitution Establishments
A man in his 50s, identified as Mr. A, who operated obscene websites targeting Koreans and is suspected of distributing sexual exploitation materials, is being forcibly repatriated from Ecuador on the 12th. Ministry of Justice
A man in his 50s, suspected of operating obscene websites targeting Koreans and distributing child and women sexual exploitation materials, has been repatriated from Ecuador.
On the 12th, the Ministry of Justice announced that Mr. A (aged 51), who faces these charges, was repatriated from Quito, the capital of Ecuador, to Incheon International Airport. Mr. A is accused of operating obscene websites from November 2017 to November 2019, during which he distributed approximately 3,000 pieces of obscene material, including child and women sexual exploitation content. He is also accused of advertising prostitution establishments on another website from December 2012 to October 2019.
The websites operated by Mr. A specifically targeted Koreans, and the prostitution establishments advertised were also located in Korea. Mr. A received criminal proceeds in virtual assets such as Bitcoin through domestic accomplices.
The Ministry of Justice, along with the prosecution and police, tracked the flow of funds for several years, confirmed that Mr. A was residing in Ecuador, and successfully arranged his repatriation. Although there is no extradition treaty between Korea and Ecuador, the authorities requested extradition based on the principle of reciprocity. Through cooperation among both countries' embassies and agencies such as the International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO/Interpol), they succeeded in securing his custody. This marks the first time Korea has repatriated a criminal suspect from Ecuador.
The Ministry of Justice plans to identify and recover criminal proceeds that were transferred to Ecuador in the future.
The Ministry of Justice stated, "This repatriation demonstrates that no place in the world can serve as a safe haven from criminal punishment," and added, "We will continue to do our utmost to pursue and strictly punish crimes targeting vulnerable members of society."
Meanwhile, the accomplices who operated and managed the websites together with Mr. A were already convicted in 2022 for violating the Information and Communications Network Act (abetting the distribution of obscene materials, etc.) and the Act on Regulation of Concealment of Criminal Proceeds.
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