Welcome to Video case explained

The Welcome to Video case involved the investigation and prosecution of a child pornography ring which traded videos through the South Korean website Welcome to Video, owned and operated by Son Jung-woo (or Jeong-woo). Authorities estimated about 360,000 downloads had been made through the website, which had roughly 1.2 million members, 4,000 of which were paid members, from 38 countries. Through international cooperation and investigations, 337 people were arrested on charges of possessing child pornography.

Offenses

Son purchased the website Welcome to Video in July 2015, operating a server from his home in Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea, until March 2018. During this time, he distributed about 220,000 sexually exploitative videos featuring children. Many of these videos were purchased from the website using cryptocurrency, totaling, roughly  million.

Son downloaded videos of child sexual exploitation from child sexual abuse material distribution site AVSNOO and re-uploaded them to his own server. Users download videos using points purchased with bitcoin and could trade video uploads for points, encouraging them to add their own material. Forty-five percent of the videos on the site had not been encountered previously by investigators.

Investigations and trials

Start of international cooperation investigation

The first organization to investigate Welcome To Video was the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which found transactions made with cryptocurrency on pornography sharing sites, and asked the US Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for cooperation in their work.[1] Investigators found that the Welcome to Video servers were poorly secured, allowing them to identify and trace bitcoin payments to those who made them and to determine the location of the server. This collaboration revealed the website was operating from South Korea. HSI delivered related information to the Korean National Police Agency (KNPA), leading to the arrest of Son.[2]

Prosecution of Son Jung-woo

First trial

Son was arrested in March 2018 and charged in May. His charges included receiving about  million in cryptocurrency from 4,000 paid members and providing them with 3,055 articles of child pornography.[3] In addition, 156 Korean citizens were charged with possession of child pornography . Many of those charged were unmarried men in their 20s, including office workers and college students; others included doctors, civil servants, and school teachers. One user had a history of child sex crimes and had access to roughly 48,000 articles of child pornography.[4]

Son reportedly appointed seven lawyers through a law firm. The first trial court found Son violated the Act on the Protection of Children and Youth Against Sex Offenses and Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, etc. and sentenced him to two years in prison and three years of probation. However, the sentence was suspended.[5] Judge Choi Mi-bok, of the Seoul Central District Court, said in a ruling: "the defendant's crimes are harmful to society" adding "he is young and has no criminal history, and he is reflecting on himself." As a mitigating factor in the sentencing, she noted Son wasn't alone in posting pornography to the Welcome to Video site and other members were also culpable.

Second trial and sentence confirmed

As a result of the first trial, Son left the detention center after six months. He was represented by a public defender during the second trial. In April 2019, in the midst of this trial, he registered his marriage and appealed to the court that he had a family to support.[6] In May 2019, the second trial court sentenced him to one and a half years in prison, stating "Acts such as selling child pornography for a large profit for a long time can distort the perception of children sexually."[6] Authorities also seized the revenues from the website.[3]

Examination of US extradition warrant

In October 2019, when authorities publicly announced the international investigation, US prosecutors indicted Son on nine charges, including conspiracy to post child pornography. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) requested his extradition from South Korea. In April 2020, South Korea's Ministry of Justice requested a criminal extradition warrant for Son. On 27 April, the expiration date of Son's sentence, the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office executed this warrant, resulting in his continued confinement at the Seoul Detention Center.[7] [8] [9] [10]

The extradition warrant had been filed for international money laundering, a crime in South Korea which did not overlap with the convictions made domestically. At a 19 May hearing, the prosecution argued that the evidence was sufficient for extradition, while Son's lawyer expressed concerns about additional punishment (double jeopardy).[8] At a 16 June hearing, Son said he would "gladly accept any severe sentence" if tried in South Korea but said he did not wish to be extradited and leave his family. The prosecution noted the South Korea–U.S. Extradition Treaty stated an extradited person can only be punished for the extradition crimes.[11]

On 6 July, the extradition request was denied. The High Court decided that Son's continued presence in South Korea would be useful in the country's continuing investigations against child exploitation.[12]

Third trial

In July 2022, Son was sentenced to 24 months in prison for concealing his financial proceeds from the Welcome to Video operation and for using some of those proceeds for online gambling.[13]

Outcome from the international cooperation investigation

According to the announcement of the KNPA and the US DOJ on 16 October 2019, investigative agencies from 38 countries made arrests based on the evidence jointly collected from Welcome to Video by the KNPA; the US HSI, IRS and Federal Attorney's Office; the UK National Crime Agency; and the German District Attorney's Office.[3] [14] At that time, the number of arrests was reported as 310 from 32 countries (per KNPA)[5] or 337 from 38 countries (per US officials) including UK, Ireland, US, South Korea, Germany, Spain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Czech Republic, Canada, etc. Among them were 223 Koreans, who accounted for 72 percent of the people arrested.[15] [16]

United States

Americans convicted and sentenced for their roles in the case include:

United Kingdom

The National Crime Agency released the names and faces of users of the website. Matthew Falder, a Cambridge-educated geophysical researcher at the University of Birmingham who coerced numerous victims into sending him pictures of them hurting themselves, was arrested in June 2017 and sentenced to 25 years in prison.[21] [22] Kyle Fox was sentenced to 22 years in prison for uploading a video of a 5-year-old boy and a 3-year-old girl he sexually assaulted.[23]

Hungary

Gábor Kaleta, the Hungarian ambassador to Peru, pleaded guilty after he was found to have downloaded over 19,000 images from the site.[24] [25] [26] He was flown home in complete secrecy in March 2019, after the American investigators identified him;[27] the Hungarian public learned about the case in February 2020. In July 2020 Kaleta was sentenced to a fine of 540,000 forints (~1500 EUR) and one year in prison, suspended for two years.[28] [24] [25] The sentence has widely been considered too lenient, with major public figures calling it outrageous, unacceptable[29] and "basically an acquittal".[30] Governing party Fidesz reacted with Lex Kaleta, a law intended to fight pedophilia. The new law was criticised by human rights groups for lumping together pedophilia with homosexuality and transsexuality.[31]

Aftermath

The light sentence given to Son angered many in South Korea, which grew in 2020 when Son filed to annul his marriage after claiming a need to support a "family" as an argument for a lenient sentence.[32] In September 2020, the country's Supreme Court ruled that producers of child pornography could be sentenced to up to 29 years in prison.[33]

Notes and References

  1. News: Erb. Kelly Phillips. 16 October 2019. IRS Followed Bitcoin Transactions, Resulting In Takedown Of The Largest Child Exploitation Site On The Web. Forbes. 19 June 2021. 27 June 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210627215318/https://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2019/10/16/irs-followed-bitcoin-transactions-resulting-in-takedown-of-the-largest-child-exploitation-site-on-the-web/. live.
  2. News: Choi. 2018-09-07. HSI, 다크넷 운영자 첫 적발·어보 환수.."한국과 공조수사 활발하죠". ko. HSI, first detection of Darknet operators and recovery of Joseon royal seal... "We have a lot of collaborative investigations with South Korea.". Seoul Business. 2021-05-23. 2021-05-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20210523071826/https://www.sedaily.com/NewsVIew/1S4JMT8IKB. live.
  3. News: Jeong . 2019-10-16 . 한·미 등 32개국 공조로 아동음란물 이용자 310명 붙잡아 . ko . Cooperation from 32 countries, including South Korea and the United States, has arrested 310 children's pornography users. . . 2021-05-23 . 2021-05-23 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210523071836/https://www.hani.co.kr/arti/society/society_general/913490.html . live .
  4. News: Lim. 2018-05-01. '숨은 인터넷' 다크웹, 아동음란물 온상으로…한국인이 유통. ko. The 'Hidden Internet' dark web is used as a child pornographic hotbed. It was distributed by Koreans.. Yonhap News Agency. 2021-05-23. 2021-05-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20210523074606/https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20180501050600004. live.
  5. News: Lim . Joo-young . Kim . Ki-hoon . 17 October 2019 . 한·미 등 32개국 공조…다크웹 아동음란물 이용자 310명 검거 . ko . Thirty-two countries, including South Korea and the United States, have collaborated to arrest 310 child pornography users of the Dark Web. . . 24 May 2021 . 24 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210524060757/https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20191016070751004 . live .
  6. News: Shim. 2019-10-23. 희대의 아동포르노···세계 경악케한 한국인 죗값. ko. Unprecedented child pornography circulates... The sin of Koreans shocked the world.. JoongAng Ilbo. 2021-05-23. 2021-05-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20210523074606/https://news.joins.com/article/23612197. live.
  7. News: Kim, Jeong. 2020-04-20. 서울고법, "아동음란물 22만건 유통" 손정우에 범죄인인도 구속영장 발부…2개월 내 美 송환 여부 결정. ko. The Seoul High Court has issued an arrest warrant of extradition for Son Jung-woo, who distributed 220,000 child pornography. The repatriation will be decided within two months to the U.S.. Maeil Business Newspaper. 2021-05-23. 2021-05-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20210523074606/https://www.mk.co.kr/news/society/view/2020/04/410955/. live.
  8. News: 2020-05-19. '웰컴 투 비디오' 손정우, 미국에 송환될 수 있을까?. ko. Will Son Jung-woo, who ran "Welcome to Video," be repatriated to the U.S.?. BBC News. 2021-05-23. 2021-05-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20210523075014/https://www.bbc.com/korean/52718972. live.
  9. News: Kim. 2020-05-03. '웰컴 투 비디오' 손정우 구속적부심 마쳐…24시간 내 결정. ko. Son Jung-woo, who ran "Welcome to Video," has completed his review of legality for confinement and will be decided within 24 hours.. Yonhap News Agency. 2021-05-23. 2021-05-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20210523081930/https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20200503021600004. live.
  10. News: Park. 2020-05-04. '아동성착취물' 손정우 구속적부심 기각… "도망 우려". ko. Due to the possibility of escape, review of legality for confinement for Son Jung-woo who distributed child pornography was dismissed.. The Dong-a Ilbo. 2021-05-23. 2021-05-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20210523081930/https://www.donga.com/news/Society/article/all/20200504/100896244/1. live.
  11. News: Ok, Go. 2020-06-16. 손정우 "한국에 있게 해달라" 울먹…美송환 결정 지연. ko. Son Jung-woo cried to let him stay in Korea. The decision to repatriate the U.S. has been delayed.. Newsis. 2021-05-23. 2021-05-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20210523081931/https://newsis.com/view/?id=NISX20200616_0001060996. live.
  12. News: 2020-07-06. South Korea rejects US extradition request over child abuse website. BBC News. 2021-06-19. 2021-06-25. https://web.archive.org/web/20210625001548/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-53303990. live.
  13. News: South Korean man jailed over proceeds from child porn site, Yonhap reports. Reuters. 2022-07-05. 2022-07-10. 2022-07-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20220710164711/https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/south-korean-man-jailed-over-proceeds-child-porn-site-report-2022-07-05/. live.
  14. News: Farivar. Blankstein. 2019-10-16. Feds take down the world's 'largest dark web child porn marketplace'. NBC News. 2021-06-19. 2021-06-24. https://web.archive.org/web/20210624201001/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/crime-courts/feds-take-down-world-s-largest-dark-web-child-porn-n1066511. live.
  15. News: Shin. 2019-10-17. 다크웹 아동음란물 이용자 300여명 검거…한국과 외국의 형량 차이. ko. More than 300 children's porn users of the 'Dark Web' have been arrested. There is a big difference in sentences between Korea and foreign countries.. Seoul Shinmun. 2021-05-23. 2021-05-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20210523081930/https://www.seoul.co.kr/news/newsView.php?id=20191017500156. live.
  16. News: 2019-10-17. '다크웹' 아동음란물 국제공조 수사… 검거된 300여명 중 223명이 한국인. ko. According to an international cooperative investigation into child pornography in the 'Dark Web', 223 of the 300 arrested were Koreans.. BBC News. 2021-05-23. 2021-05-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20210523081931/https://www.bbc.com/korean/news-50078096. live.
  17. News: U.S., South Korea dismantle secret online network that shared thousands of videos of child sexual abuse. The Washington Post. 2019-10-16. 2022-07-10. 2021-04-13. https://web.archive.org/web/20210413033653/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/us-south-korea-dismantle-secret-online-network-that-shared-thousands-of-videos-of-child-sexual-abuse/2019/10/16/cdae13c2-eb63-11e9-9c6d-436a0df4f31d_story.html. live.
  18. Web site: San Antonio Man Sentenced to 70 Months in Federal Prison on Child Pornography Charges. U.S. Department of Justice. 2019-05-28. 2022-07-10. 2022-07-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20220710164710/https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdtx/pr/san-antonio-man-sentenced-70-months-federal-prison-child-pornography-charges. live.
  19. United States v. Gratkowski . 964 . F.3d . 307 . 5th Cir. . 2020 . https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=8854542370130906239 .
  20. Web site: Belcher . Marta . Appeals Court Decision Fails to Protect Privacy of Cryptocurrency Exchange Users . Electronic Frontier Foundation . March 12, 2024 . en . July 21, 2020.
  21. News: 2018-02-19. Dark web paedophile Matthew Falder jailed for 32 years. BBC News. 2021-06-19. 2021-06-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20210623171914/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-43114471. live.
  22. News: 2018-10-16. Dark web paedophile Matthew Falder's sentence reduced. BBC News. 2021-06-19. 2022-10-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20221011120946/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-45875275. live.
  23. News: Torre. 2019-03-01. Dark web paedophile who raped boy, 5, and abused toddler is jailed for 22 years. Daily Mirror. 2021-06-19. 2021-06-24. https://web.archive.org/web/20210624201846/https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/breaking-dark-web-film-paedophile-14071045. live.
  24. Web site: Az biztos, hogy elsunnyogták a perui nagykövet botrányát. Index. 2020-02-16. 2021-10-03. 2021-09-25. https://web.archive.org/web/20210925101818/https://index.hu/belfold/2020/02/16/az_biztos_hogy_elsunnyogtak_a_perui_nagykovet_botranyat/. live.
  25. Web site: Mindent beismert a bíróságon a pedofil képek miatt megvádolt Kaleta Gábor. Index. 2020-07-01. 2021-10-03. 2021-10-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20211023055519/https://index.hu/belfold/2020/07/01/mindent_beismert_a_birosagon_a_pedofil_kepek_miatt_megvadolt_kaleta_gabor/. live.
  26. Web site: Elítélték a gyermekpornográfia-ügybe keveredett volt perui nagykövetet. Mandiner. 2020-07-01. 2021-10-03. 2021-10-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20211003002113/https://mandiner.hu/cikk/20200701_eliteltek_a_gyermekpornografia_ugybe_keveredett_volt_perui_nagykovetet. live.
  27. Web site: Amerikaiak leplezték le a gyermekpornóval vádolt magyar nagykövetet . 2020-02-11 . 2021-06-27 . Dezső András . index.hu . 2021-02-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210225060836/https://index.hu/belfold/2020/02/11/a_titkosszolgalat_emberei_kisertek_haza_a_gyermekpornoval_vadolt_magyar_nagykovetet/ . live .
  28. https://index.hu/belfold/2020/02/09/gyermekpornografiaba_bukott_bele_a_peru_magyar_nagykovet_a_tek_titokban_hozta_haza/ Gyermekpornográfiába bukott bele a perui magyar nagykövet
  29. Web site: Kocsis Máté: Undorító, amit Kaleta Gábor tett. Veszprém Online. 2020-07-08. 2021-10-03. 2021-10-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20211003003618/https://www.veol.hu/orszag-vilag/kocsis-mate-undorito-amit-kaleta-gabor-tett-a-birosag-itelete-pedig-felhaborito-3896891/. live.
  30. Web site: Kósa Lajos Kaleta Gáborról. Origo.hu. 2020-07-08. 2021-10-03. 2021-10-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20211003002114/https://www.origo.hu/itthon/20200708-kosa-lajos-kaleta-gaborrol.html. live.
  31. Web site: Lex Kaleta: összemossa a homoszexualitást és a pedofíliát a Fidesz új törvényjavaslata. 168 Óra. 2021-06-10. 2021-10-03. 2021-10-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20211003002113/https://168.hu/itthon/lex-kaleta-osszemossa-a-homoszexualitast-es-a-pedofiliat-a-fidesz-uj-torvenyjavaslata-206028. live.
  32. News: Public anger growing over child porn site operator's annulment. The Korea Times. 2020-08-05. 2022-07-10. 2022-07-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20220710164710/https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2021/02/113_293939.html. live.
  33. News: Child porn offenders could be sentenced to 29 years in jail. The Korea Herald. 2020-09-16. 2022-07-10. 2022-07-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20220710164711/https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20200915000772. live.

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