A teenager indicted for violating the ‘Scam Law’ by entering a paid adult chat room is found not guilty… Court “Cannot determine whether it recognizes sexual exploitation of children and adolescents”

A teenager who paid money to purchase a link to a Telegram data room that distributes adult content was put on trial on charges of purchasing child and youth sexual exploitation material, but was found not guilty after explaining that he was unaware that child and youth sexual exploitation material was posted in the data room.

According to the legal community on the 22nd, the Wonju Branch of the Chuncheon District Court declared Group A, a teenage male, not guilty on charges of violating the Act on Sexual Protection of Children and Adolescents on the 26th of last month.

Person A was brought to trial in June last year on charges of purchasing a link to a Telegram data sharing room containing a large number of child and adolescent sexual exploitation materials. About 1,100 files, including sexual exploitation of children and adolescents, were posted in the data room.

Person A denied the charges, saying he did not know that there was child and adolescent sexual exploitation material in the data room. He said he saw an advertisement for a data room posted on a Telegram channel and purchased an access link from the administrator to view general adult content, but was unaware that child and adolescent sexual exploitation material was posted.

The court also ruled that it could not be concluded that Mr. A knew that the data room contained sexual exploitation material of children and adolescents. This is because the capture of the data room advertisement submitted by the investigative agency as evidence was collected after the day Mr. A purchased the link, so it is difficult to view it as exactly the same as what Mr. A saw, and there was no evidence such as the conversation that Mr. A had with the data room manager.

Attorney Gil Se-cheol of the Daeryun Law Firm, who represented Mr. A, said, “For the indictment to be proven, the actor must have tolerated the possibility of a crime occurring,” and added, “A was able to get an acquittal by faithfully explaining that it was difficult for him to recognize that the data room contained sexual exploitation material of children and adolescents based on the notice posted at the time he accessed the data room.”

Reporter Jeong Cheol-wook

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Teen indicted for violating the 'Sweet Listening Act' by entering paid adult content rooms, not guilty... Court “Cannot determine whether it recognizes sexual exploitation of children and adolescents” (Shortcut)