The appellate judge handling the case of the so-called "Busan roundhouse kick" assailant, who was additionally indicted on charges of retaliatory intimidation against the victim, is facing controversy for remarking that "the victim also engaged in media play."
The Busan High Court held an appellate trial yesterday for the assailant, surnamed Lee, who was indicted on charges including retaliatory intimidation.
During the witness examination of YouTuber A, who was incarcerated alongside Lee, A testified that Lee repeatedly made remarks in the detention center portending retaliation against the victim.
A stated, "Every evening he would say such things, and while looking at case records or writing letters elsewhere, he kept talking about it."
A also explained the circumstances of reporting Lee's remarks, saying, "The defendant said, 'When I get out, I'm going to kill her,' so I was worried about the victim's safety."
A further testified that while talking with Lee, A felt there was an intent to make the victim fearful so that she would not conduct media interviews or take similar actions.
However, during the witness examination, an unusual dispute broke out between the victim's legal representative and the presiding judge.
When the judge asked, "The defendant is making his own claims, but aren't those claims something the victim shouldn't necessarily be scared of?", the victim's lawyer responded, "I would like to make a comment regarding the remark that the victim is not hurt by the perpetrator engaging in media play."
In the process of explaining the intent of the remark, the presiding judge then stated, "Wasn't there also considerable media play by the victim during the trial process?"
The lawyer representing the victim, Kim Jin-ju, raised the issue again, stating that describing the victim's media activities as "media play" was inappropriate.
In response, the judge wrapped up the dispute by saying, "This case feels somewhat politicized."
After the trial concluded, Kim posted on social media, criticizing the presiding judge's remarks by stating, "The judge is saying that the retaliatory intimidation wouldn't have been scary to me."
She added, "The arguments were reopened abruptly so I hurriedly appointed a lawyer and went to court today, but I had no idea it would be to this extent," and asked, "Under these circumstances, who on earth would report for the victim and who on earth would file a report?"
Reported by Jung Da-eun | Video by Jang Yu-jin | Graphics by Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
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