Cho Joo-bin, 30, received an additional five-year prison term finalized for raping a minor. Cho is serving 42 years for producing and distributing sexually exploitative material of minors. The rape of a minor is separate from the production of exploitative material and occurred first.
The Supreme Court's 2nd Division (presiding Justice Roh Tae-ak) on the 11th finalized the lower court ruling sentencing Cho Joo-bin to five years in prison on charges including violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Youth against Sex Offenses (rape).
Cho Joo-bin was brought to trial in Sept. 2022 on charges of sexually exploiting and raping a victim who was a teenager in 2019. This case occurred before the "Doctor's Room" crimes committed using the Telegram internet messenger.
The first trial sentenced Cho Joo-bin to five years in prison. The court also ordered completion of 40 hours of a sexual violence treatment program and imposed a five-year employment restriction at child, youth, and disability protection facilities, respectively.
The first trial court said, "The victim suffered the crimes for more than a year and is complaining of extreme psychological pain," and added, "The defendant still denies the crimes, claiming the victim and the defendant were in a romantic relationship, and is not reflecting. Because of the defendant's claims, the victim is suffering significant secondary harm."
Cho Joo-bin appealed the ruling, but the appellate court and then the Supreme Court found no error in these determinations and dismissed the appeal. During the proceedings, Cho denied the charges and even applied for a jury trial, but the court did not accept it.
From May 2019 to Feb. 2020, Cho coerced dozens of female victims, including children and teenagers, to produce sexually exploitative material and sold and distributed it through the Telegram "Doctor's Room."
In Feb. last year, the Supreme Court finalized a four-month prison term in a separate case additionally indicting him and accomplice Kang Hoon on indecent assault by force. The total prison terms sentenced to Cho Joo-bin amount to 47 years and four months.