South Korea probes chatroom sex abuse

SEOUL－South Korean prosecutors on Wednesday began reviewing whether to formally charge a man arrested last week on allegations that he operated secret chatrooms where he posted sexually abusive videos of blackmailed women in return for cryptocurrency payments.

The allegations have triggered intense public uproar and soul-searching over a culture that critics say is lenient about sexual violence and continuously fails the victims, prompting South Korean President Moon Jae-in to call for thorough investigation and stern punishment for operators of such chatrooms and their users.

Wearing a neck brace and handcuffed to his waist, the suspect, Cho Ju-bin, 24, was paraded before journalists at the Jongno Police Station in Seoul before officers drove him to the prosecutors' office. Police officers created a perimeter around the station's gate to block off angry protesters, who waved signs that read "From chatroom to prison" and "Punish all users" and yelled "Give him the highest penalty!"