News Briefing: Life Imprisonment Upheld for Kim Nok-wan, Operator of 'Pastor's Room' Sexual Exploitation Ring

1. Ahead of his attendance at the Republican National Convention, U.S. President Trump stated that the war with Iran will end right after the U.S. midterm elections in November. He claimed that Iran no longer has the capacity to hold out and is desperately trying to influence the U.S. midterm elections to defeat the Republican Party, but that the war will end immediately once the elections are over. However, in the Middle East, the largest-ever tanker attacks and threats of naval blockades continue, driving anxiety to an all-time high. Going a step further, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps declared that it would expand its controlled zones beyond the Strait of Hormuz to parts of the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, showing a defiant stance against the United States.

2. A sentence of life imprisonment has been finalized for Kim Nok-wan, the operator of the so-called "Pastor's Room," which was the largest Telegram sexual exploitation ring ever operated. The Supreme Court upheld the lower court's ruling sentencing him to life imprisonment for violations of the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles against Sexual Abuse, along with the original orders for public disclosure of personal information, a 10-year employment restriction, and a 30-year electronic monitoring device attachment. Investigations revealed that after learning about the "Nth Room" case in early 2020, Kim imitated the criminal methods, created a so-called vigilante group to produce and distribute sexually exploitative materials, and managed members in a pyramid structure while threatening and sexually assaulting victims.

3. The body of a 50-year-old South Korean crew member, one of the six sailors who went missing following the capsizing of a tugboat off the coast of Busan on September 2, was found yesterday, September 9, on a beach in Pohang more than 100 kilometers away from the accident site. A sanitation worker discovered the body on the beach and reported it, and the Coast Guard confirmed the identity as Chief Engineer Lee of the capsized TNS Catcher through digital forensics of a mobile phone found together with the body and fingerprint analysis. The Coast Guard stated that it has expanded the search area to locate the remaining five crew members who are still missing.

4. Do you all know who this person is? He is a legendary Zainichi Korean figure in Japanese professional baseball, commentator Zhang Xun (Harimoto Isao). Many of us in our generation read extensively about Harimoto's exploits through comics during our childhood. The Meikyukai, an association of current and former Japanese professional baseball players, announced that he passed away yesterday at the age of 86. Born in Hiroshima, Japan, in 1940 as a second-generation Zainichi Korean, Harimoto played in Japanese professional baseball from 1959 to 1981, setting a record of 3,085 career hits. Despite facing discrimination for being Korean, he maintained his South Korean citizenship throughout his playing career before naturalizing as a Japanese citizen after retirement. May the deceased rest in peace.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.