'Digital prison' operator repatriated from Vietnam

A man who ran a website that names and shames sex offenders, murderers and child molesters was sent back to Korea on Tuesday, two weeks after he was nabbed in Vietnam on charges of violating the law on information protection.

The man, in his 30s, is suspected of disclosing personal information of people accused of digital sex crimes, murder or child molestation via his “Digital Prison” website and Instagram.

A 20-year-old university student died in a suspected suicide early last month after his personal information was published on the Digital Prison site in July with accusations that he produced materials of sexual exploitation.

The student had claimed his innocence and expressed frustration, posting a letter on his school community website claiming that “none of what was published on the website (about him) is true.”

He added that he believed his phone may have been hacked after he lent it to someone.

A medical professor and a former martial arts fighter were previously falsely accused on Digital Prison.

The man who ran the digital prison site was taken to the Daegu Police Agency, which is investigating the controversial case.

By Kim So-hyun (sophie@heraldcorp.com)