Article: Police, "tracked down 15,000 IDs...and 70 people who paid admission fees to Cho's chatrooms"
Source: Segye Ilbo
Police are making progress investigating Cho's "Nth" and "Baksa" Telegram chatrooms.
While tracking his criminal profits from data seized from his cryptocurrency activities, police were able to compile a list of 70 people who sent admission fees to Cho Joo Bin.
According to police, Cho posted 3 encrypted wallet links in his "Nth room" to receive the admission fees. Two of them were fake as the links can be found via Google search and were probably posted to confuse the investigation. But the other link was the real address used by Cho.
Police also stated that they have secured 15,000 IDs (nicknames) used in the chatroom. This is not the sum of only the paid members but rather all the participants involved in the chatroom. A police official from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency stated, "There is a possibility that one person may have used multiple nicknames so its hard to conclude that the actual number of members is 15,000. The 15,000 ID's may also be borrowed or stolen as a way for the subscribers to hide their identities."
Police have also finished analyzing all but two of the twenty pieces of digital evidence including nine cell phones obtained from the seizure search. A police source stated, "We haven't found any meaningful data from seven of the cellphones but we're still working on the remaining two. Cho admitted to his crimes but he's refusing to cooperate with unlocking the cell phones. He's trying to play with investigative authorities pretending to unlock it. He still thinks he can sway the world. He's that evil."
In the meantime, President Moon has asked the government to form a task force that includes not only related ministries but private experts to root out digital sex crimes. But lawyers are concerned that Cho and others involved in the controversial chatroom might end up getting away as only 20% of these cases have been punished in court and even then, the prison sentences are short, between 6 months and one or two years in prison.
- [+1,881, -55] Don't try to pick and choose who you investigate but instead reveal all the accomplices and operators of all the chatrooms including everyone that deposited admission fees there. Why is it we're the ones paying for your salaries with our taxes and yet you're not revealing their names? Are you really working for the public? Is there a special reason why Cho Joo Bin is the only one exposed??!
- [+704 -16] Then torture him and get the password out of him
- [+618, -51] Anyone that ever subscribed or saw a video in that chatroom needs to be investigated as a potential sex offender
- [+572, -37] Why is the number of paid subscribers decreasing day by day?? Didn't you say there were thousands of paid subscribers at first? Is it because you're cleaning out the high-ranking officials from the list?
- [+315, -9] Let's dig out these Telegram ba$tards and root them all out
- [+91, -37] Make sure to catch all the ba$tards from Cho's baksa and nth rooms. Catch all 260,000 and if you can't grab them all then at least publicly reveal their names.
- [+38, -2] I still can't believe that this is the guy Son Seok-hee, who used to go to court with senior prosecutors, felt so threatened by that he had to deposit the money.
- [+40, -6] Investigate thoroughly...don't hesitate and half-a$$ it
- [+33, -4] Make sure you bring down the entire building [expose entire chatroom]^^
- [+32, -5] I remember when reports first came out, police said the "baksa" room was at least 1-30,000. Then the "Nth Room" numbers came out and they said 260,000. This chatroom is just one of the nth rooms. Please don't confuse the rooms and investigate thoroughly so that none of the subscribers are omitted.