Police have decided to disclose the identity of a man accused of producing illegal pornographic material and distributing it for profit through an instant messaging app.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency made the decision after a meeting with experts in the area Tuesday during which they discussed whether revealing the identity of Cho Joo-bin would meet the public's right to know and prevent similar crimes from being committed.
Police plan to reveal the 25-year-old's face when they send him to the prosecution Wednesday morning.
He was arrested last week for allegedly orchestrating appalling sex crimes online and offline against over 70 female victims, including 16 minors.
A petition filed on Cheong Wa Dae's website asking the police to reveal the suspect's face and other personal information garnered a record 2.55 million signatures online as of Tuesday afternoon.
This is the first time the identity of a suspect has been disclosed by authorities under the special law on sex crimes.■
<Photo: Yonhap News>
