Graphic by Park Hyang-mi
Editor‘s note: “Cyber Hell: Exposing an Internet Horror,” a documentary exploring the Nth Room case, premiered on the global streaming service Netflix on May 18, 2022.“Cyber Hell” examines the cybercrimes committed in the Nth Room through interviews with 24 of the people who investigated it, including journalists, producers and police. Among those providing their vivid recollections for the camera are the members of “Team Flame,” which first investigated the case, as well as Hankyoreh reporters Kim Wan and Oh Yeon-seo, who first reported the story, and members of the police’s cyber investigation team.As “Cyber Hell” hits screens across the world, we’re bringing back some of the Hankyoreh‘s articles from its special feature on sexual exploitation spreading on Telegram to shine a light on the issue of cyber sex crimes in Korea.Cho Ju-bin, the 24-year-old known as “Baksa” or “Doctor” at the center of a massive sex blackmail ring in Korea, was put behind bars in March 2020, four months after the Hankyoreh ran a series of articles in November 2019 about the distribution of explicit videos on Telegram.While there have been numerous articles about the disturbing sexual abuse perpetrated by the operators and members of secret chatrooms on Telegram since Cho’s arrest, newspapers were strangely silent after the Hankyoreh’s initial reporting.That reflected the cynical view that this incident wasn’t such a big deal, considering that such exploitative videos have always circulated and will continue to circulate in Korean society. The Hankyoreh’s reports actually brought more users to the “Baksa Room,” enabling Cho to charge members a higher fee. Other chatroom operators sarcastically said they hoped the Hankyoreh would report on their operations, too, so they could get the bump in members.While Cho’s case could have been swept under the rug, as others like it have, young Korean women fought resolutely to keep the issue in the public eye and make sure that these sexual abusers were brought to trial. Along with creating “Project ReSET” to report sexual abuse taking place on Telegram, these women made sure the gruesome crimes of the Nth Room weren’t forgotten by urging people on Twitter to sign petitions to the National Assembly.Two university students who called themselves “Team Flame” infiltrated the secret chatrooms and meticulously collected information that they then provided to the press, as well as to the police. Thanks to their efforts, these sex offenders are being brought to justice one by one.But this is just the beginning. We sat down with Kim Wan and Oh Yeon-seo, the Hankyoreh reporters who covered the story, to talk about what should be done to prevent other people from repeating Cho’s crimes.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■At 5 pm on March 17, 2020, as pool reporters at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency were wrapping up their articles for the day, they received a message from the police agency.“A criminal suspect who was interrogated from 10 pm on the 16th to 1 am [on the 17th] in the cyber safety department on the second floor is being tested and quarantined for what may be COVID-19.”The message unleashed a series of frantic phone calls as reporters tried to figure out which of the criminal suspects might have COVID-19. Soon, the agency sent out a second message.“A total of four suspects including the likely operator of the ‘Baksa Room’ are currently detained for questioning on March 16-17 in connection with the ‘Baksa Room’ incident on Telegram. We hope you will understand that we cannot provide detailed information about an ongoing investigation.”The reporters needed to confirm that the “likely operator of the ‘Baksa Room’” was in fact the “Baksa” who had masterminded the activities described in the Hankyoreh series the previous November about explicit materials circulating on Telegram.The individual who went by the alias “Baksa” or “the Doctor” lured women in with the offer of part-time jobs. After coercing victims into sharing their personal information, he would blackmail them into shooting explicit videos, which he then sold in secret chatrooms on Telegram.Instructing victims to write messages on their own bodies such as “Baksa’s slave,” he would share the exploitative content with a message that read, “I’ve got stuff on [the victim], so she won’t report it. Do whatever you want.”
