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'Baksa Room' ringleader shows off award from prison education program

Published: 09 Mar. 2026, 16:36 Updated: 10 Mar. 2026, 14:08

Sex offender Cho Ju-bin, right, and a certificate presented to him in prison [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Sex offender Cho Ju-bin, serving a combined prison sentence of 47 years and four months, proclaimed that he had received an award for excellence in a prison education program.

Cho, who is incarcerated at a correctional facility in Cheongsong County, North Gyeongsang, had a message titled “Acceptance Speech” on a blog on Feb. 20 by a proxy who set it up and has run it since January 2024, uploading letters Cho writes from prison following his sentencing in October 2021 to 42 years in prison for crimes tied to the Telegram chat room known as the “Baksa Room,” including producing and distributing sexually exploitative material involving minors. Additional years were later handed down for other offenses.

In the post, Cho wrote that he had received a commendation for diligently taking part in an education program for three weeks.

He wrote that not every inmate in the program received a certificate and that the recognition also came with a box of cup noodles, calling it “a proper award” and saying it was something worth boasting about. He added that he had told his family to put it on the refrigerator at home.

Cho went on to say that winning an award feels good because it means one’s effort has been recognized. He described awards as the fruit of effort, and wrote that they can also encourage people who have been unlucky or unhappy, as it did for him.

The prize was both a "treasure and a treasure map" that gave him courage and made him hold more tightly to the direction of his life, Cho said.

"I never received an award during my school years, and receiving one only after ending up in prison felt especially meaningful," said Cho.

A note that Cho Ju-bin says he received from cellmates. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Saying he would use it as a chance to make the most of this year, Cho also posted a photograph of the certificate issued in the name of the prison warden. The certificate said he had successfully completed the first basic course of the 2026 intensive personality education program.

Cho also wrote that he was preparing to be transferred from the prison to another correctional facility.

He wrote that the transfer was “0 percent voluntary and 100 percent involuntary,” and said the prison he is in currently has notorious human rights blind spots. He added that being removed from such a place made him think about what that meant, adding that it might be another award the prison was giving him. He did not disclose when he would be transferred or where he would be sent.

At the end of the post, he also shared a card he had received from his cellmates with messages such as, “I liked how you always tried to stay positive,” “It will be hard, but I think you will learn a lot through life,” “I hope the rest of your time passes without trouble” and “Stay strong in prison.”

After his initial sentencing, the Supreme Court later confirmed an additional four-month prison term in February 2024 in a separate molestation case involving Cho and an accomplice, Kang Hoon. In December 2025, the top court also finalized an additional five-year sentence for sexually assaulting a victim who had been a minor at the time. His total prison term, therefore, rose to 47 years and four months.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY HAN YOUNG-HYE [[email protected]]