SEOUL, March 23 (Yonhap) -- More than 2 million people have signed an online petition as of Monday demanding the government unveil the identity of a man who allegedly ran a group chat room where photos and videos of violent sex acts, involving underaged victims, were distributed. At least 74 victims are known to have been exploited in the so-called Nth room case, in which a man surnamed Cho allegedly lured victims into taking naked photos and later threatened and exploited them into more gruesome sex acts. Cho, who used the nickname "baksa," which means "doctor" or "guru" in Korean, is accused of distributing the videos in a group chat room on the messaging service Telegram, where at least 10,000 users are suspected of paying Cho to watch the videos. Police have so far tracked down 124 people in relation to the case, including Cho and 17 others who have been formally detained. The user who is suspected of first creating the chat room, however, still remains at large.

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SEOUL, March 24 (Yonhap) -- An American soldier stationed in South Korea was found dead in her barracks room last week, the U.S. military said Tuesday. Private First Class Marissa Jo Gloria was found unresponsive in her room at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, on Saturday and pronounced dead at the scene by emergency medical personnel, according to the 2nd Infantry Division. The cause of her death is under investigation, the military said, though officials said they do not believe her death has anything to do with the COVID-19 virus. The 25-year-old combat engineer joined the U.S. Army from North Dakota in January 2019, and arrived here in April that year. "We are all deeply saddened by the loss and will keep her family in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time," said Lt. Col. Robert Dion, commander of the 11th Engineer Battalion. graceoh@yna.co.kr

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(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with press briefing; CHANGES headline) By Lee Chi-dong SEOUL, March 26 (Yonhap) -- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday his country plans to take a cue from South Korea in responding to the new coronavirus, holding phone talks with President Moon Jae-in for half an hour, according to Cheong Wa Dae. Trudeau lauded South Korea for its "science-based" handling of the problem without excessive burden on the medical system and for producing accomplishments in protecting the people's safety, Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok said. The prime minister also said South Korea is taking advantage of its experience from the MERS incident in 2015. Canada plans to follow a model similar to South Korea's steps, he was quoted as adding, pointing out that its "extensive, speedy" testing and tracing have been very important in the success. He again said Canada would like to learn from South Korea over the virus response, Kang said in a press re

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(ATTN: ADDS details on police response in paras 11-13) SEOUL, March 25 (Yonhap) -- A man suspected of blackmailing dozens of victims, including minors, into performing violent sex acts and selling the videos in mobile chat rooms was handed over to the prosecution on Wednesday for further investigation. At least 74 people, including 16 underage girls, are known to have been exploited in the case, widely known as the "Nth room case," in which prime suspect Cho Ju-bin allegedly lured victims into taking photos and later coerced them into performing more gruesome sex acts. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency sent Cho's case to the prosecution on charges including violation of the act on the protection of children and youth against sex offenses. The 24-year-old, whose name and photo were released on Tuesday, appeared in front of the public early Wednesday as he was being transferred to the prosecution from a detention unit at Jongno Police Station in central Seoul. "I gen

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(ATTN: ADDS details and background in paras 3, 9-14) SEOUL, March 28 (Yonhap) -- Three South Korean-made COVID-19 test kits have obtained a preliminary approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the foreign ministry said Saturday. The initial FDA approval will immediately allow South Korean manufacturers of the three virus test kits to sell the products in the United States, where confirmed coronavirus cases have surpassed 100,000, an official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said over the phone. The official didn't provide the names of the three approved test kits. The ministry expected the approval to accelerate exports of the test kits to U.S. markets. In a phone conversation with President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed hope that South Korea could provide medical equipment support to help contain the spread of the respiratory illness in the U.S. Moon replied that his government would provide "maximum support

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(ATTN: UPDATES with White House readout in paras 11-12) By Lee Chi-dong SEOUL, March 24 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Donald Trump expressed hope Tuesday, in a phone conversation with President Moon Jae-in, that South Korea could provide medical equipment support, according to Cheong Wa Dae. Moon replied that his government would provide "maximum support" if available, as the two leaders discussed bilateral cooperation in the fight against the novel coronavirus pandemic. He then pointed out that approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) might be required. In response, Trump said he would make immediate action for that "within today," Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok said. Trump showed his interest in the trend of infections in South Korea and said the country is "doing very good," he added. South Korea has been widely lauded for its effective and swift response to the spread of the virus, taking advantage of its advanced testing capabilities. It has been

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SEOUL, March 28 (Yonhap) -- Three South Korean-made COVID-19 test kits have obtained a preliminary approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the foreign ministry said Saturday. The initial FDA approval will allow South Korean manufacturers of the three virus test kits to sell the products in the United States, where confirmed coronavirus cases have surpassed 100,000, an official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said over the phone. The ministry expected the approval to accelerate exports of the test kits to U.S. markets. In a phone conversation with President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed hope that South Korea could provide medical equipment support to help contain the spread of the respiratory illness in the U.S. Moon replied that his government would provide "maximum support" if available as the two leaders discussed bilateral cooperation in the fight against the novel coronavirus pandemic. He then pointed

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(ATTN: UPDATES with details of multiple petitions, background of Moon's message in last 3 paras) SEOUL, March 23 (Yonhap) -- President Moon Jae-in called Monday for a thorough investigation into shocking sex crimes against women, including underage girls, in which group chat rooms of the Telegram messenger service were used. He described the acts of the offenders in the so-called Nth room case as "cruel" behavior that destroyed the lives of victims and said he "feels sympathetic" to the "justifiable" public fury over it. At least 74 women, including 16 minors, were sexually abused and exploited for several months, as they were virtually enslaved with threats of spreading photos of their naked bodies, according to police. They were forced to photograph or film themselves doing sexual acts, even grotesque ones. Those were shared with a host of viewers in the chat rooms. The number of members, who paid money for the materials, reportedly reaches 260,000. Moon stressed the need

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SEOUL, March 25 (Yonhap) -- An American soldier stationed in South Korea was found dead in his barracks room earlier this week, the U.S. military said Wednesday. Spc. Clay Welch was found unresponsive in his room at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, on Sunday and pronounced dead at the scene by emergency medical personnel, according to the 2nd Infantry Division. The cause of his death is being investigated, the military said, though officials said they do not believe his death has anything to do with COVID-19. His death came a day after another U.S. soldier at Camp Humphreys, Marissa Jo Gloria, 25, was found dead in her room on Saturday for unknown reasons. Welch, a 20-year-old combat medic specialist, joined the U.S. Army in 2017 and was sent here last month. "Clay's death affects every member in our formation. We are all deeply saddened by the loss," Lt. Col. James Armstrong, Welch's battalion commander, said. graceoh@yna.co.kr

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(ATTN: ADDS details in paras 3-4, paras 13-15; RECASTS lead para) SEOUL, March 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korea once again urged people to stay home, avoid mass gatherings over the weekend and comply with self-isolation rules if they returned from abroad, as COVID-19 clusters continued to emerge amid a rise in imported coronavirus cases. The 91 new cases, which were detected Thursday and down from 104 new cases Wednesday, marked the 16th consecutive day there were around 100 or fewer additional cases, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). There were 9,332 confirmed cases in total, and the death toll rose by eight to 139. The KCDC said 56 virus patients are in critical condition. The number of imported cases climbed by 13 to reach 144. The mortality rate stood at 1.49 percent as of Thursday, according to the KCDC. For those aged 80 and above, the fatality rate was 15.19 percent. South Korea began implementing stricter rules on social dis

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