“Nth Room” Main Perpetrator Cho Joo Bin Sentenced To 45 Years In Prison

Cho Joo Bin has been sentenced to an additional 5 years in prison.

Cho Joo Bin, the main perpetrator of the Nth Room scandal was previously sentenced to 40 years in prison for his involvement in the chatrooms. On February 4th, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced Cho to an additional 5 years in prison for violating a criminal concealment law. In addition to his 45 year prison sentence, Cho Joo Bin has also been ordered to complete a 40 hour sexual violence program and will be required to wear an ankle monitor for 5 years after his release. He will be prohibited from being employed at any school or welfare facilities.

Just a couple weeks ago, Cho Joo Bin pleaded for a lighter sentence stating that “40 years was too heavy” after his previous trial. In a scandal that shocked the entire nation, the 25 year old was found guilty of exchanging sexually exploitative videos and photos for cryptocurrency. Cho had received approximately 180 million KRW (~$160,952) between the years of 2018-2020. These videos and photos were distributed within different chatrooms to numerous “customers.” The videos showed the victims being raped and sexually assaulted, amongst many other disturbing acts. A large number of the victims were underage children who were still in middle school. These videos and photos were then used to blackmail the victims.

Prosecutors had originally asked for an additional 15 years on top of Cho Joo Bin’s 40 year sentence as they revealed that a new victim had been found. Cho Joo Bin’s accomplice, known as Kang was also given a prison sentence of 13 years at the previous trial.