BY REUTERS July 6, 2020 Updated: July 6, 2020
SEOUL—A South Korean court on Monday refused an extradition request by U.S. law enforcement authorities for a man convicted of running a South Korea-based dark web child pornography site that sold videos for digital cash around the world.
The man, Son Jong-woo, the site’s operator, completed an 18-month sentence for violating South Korean child protection and information laws in April but has remained in custody after he was also indicted on U.S. federal charges in Washington.
The Seoul High Court said in its ruling that it had refused the extradition request because sending him to the United States could hamper South Korean investigations into sexually exploitive content, Yonhap news agency reported.
The court said the ruling should not be interpreted as exonerating Son, and that he should actively cooperate with investigators and face proper punishment, according to Yonhap.
Reuters was not able to find contact information for Son’s lawyer.
Officials said last year they had arrested at least 338 people in 12 countries linked to the network, which they described as one of the largest child pornography operations they had encountered.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/south-korea-court-rejects-us-extradition-request-for-child-porn-network-operator_3413157.html