Sentenced to 42 Years in the 'Doctor's Room' Case
Total Prison Term Now 47 Years
Jo Joo-bin, the main culprit in the Telegram 'Doctor's Room' case, has received a final sentence of five years in prison for raping a minor. Jo Joo-bin had already been sentenced to 42 years in prison for producing and distributing child sexual exploitation materials.
On December 11, the Supreme Court's Second Division (Presiding Justice Kwon Youngjun) upheld the lower court's ruling that sentenced Jo Joo-bin to five years in prison for violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles (rape) and other charges.
Jo Joo-bin was found guilty of sexually exploiting and raping a victim who was a minor between January and November 2019. This incident occurred before the so-called 'Doctor's Room' case.
Previously, from August 2019 to February 2021, Jo Joo-bin was indicted for producing sexual exploitation materials involving eight children and adolescents and seventeen adults, selling and distributing them for profit, and organizing a criminal group in the so-called 'Doctor's Room' case. He was sentenced to 42 years in prison for these crimes and was serving his sentence when he was additionally prosecuted for this separate case.
Both the first and second trials sentenced Jo Joo-bin to five years in prison, ordered him to complete 40 hours of a sexual violence treatment program, and imposed a five-year employment restriction at facilities for children, adolescents, and people with disabilities.
During the trial, Jo Joo-bin claimed that he and the victim were in a romantic relationship and that the sexual activity was consensual. However, both the first and second trial courts rejected this argument, stating, "The victim has consistently maintained that they were not in a romantic relationship and only complied with the defendant's demands." The courts further noted, "In the video footage, the victim appears to reluctantly comply with the defendant's instructions and orders." The Supreme Court agreed with the lower courts' assessment.
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