NEWS BRIEF

[Anchor Lead]

The Seoul High Court has decided to reject the extradition of a convict who was indicted in the U.S. on charges of committing online sexual exploitation against children. The man, identified by his surname "Sohn," is expected to be released from Korean prison today. He was arrested in March in 2018 In Korea for circulating some 3,000 videos of child sexual exploitation via his Web site. Sohn served out his sentence and was scheduled to be released in April this year. But He remained in detention due to the U.S.' request to extradite.
The imprisoned former governor of Chungcheongnam-do Province is now out to attend the funeral of his mother. As soon as he was granted the four-day temporary release, Ahn Hee-jung headed straight for the memorial altar for his mother set up at Seoul National University Hospital in Seoul. The disgraced governor is serving the sentence of three and half years in prison on charge of raping his secretary. He will have to return to prison on Thursday afternoon. Under the current criminal law, prosecutors can suspend convicts' sentences if there are special reasons to be considered from a humanitarian point of view.