KORA school violence case that took place at a middle school eight years ago has come to light through supplementary prosecution investigations, causing massive shock.
The victim, now a 23-year-old woman, confessed that she was subjected to physical assault and even gang sexual violence by a group of perpetrators at the time.
[School Violence Victim: I lived with constant anxiety. Even after moving to a new neighborhood, people would ask me, 'I met someone and they said they have your nude photos. What did you do to have something like that floating around?']
The main perpetrator was a notorious female who had been in and out of juvenile detention centers since her teens, and she had ordered her friends to assault and sexually assault the victim.
[Acquaintance of the Perpetrator: The only video I saw was just that one. It was a video of sexual intercourse. Besides the boy and girl having intercourse, there were a few other kids there. A couple? Three? I could hear the girl and boys giggling and laughing.]
When the victim courageously reported the case to the police in 2024 after becoming an adult, the response she received was cold.
[School Violence Victim: (The police officer) looked at our lawyer and asked if we were friends. He spoke informally, saying, 'Are you friends?' I heard he had a personal connection with the perpetrator.]
[The Attorney / Former Public Defender for the Victim: They spoke in a way that clearly revealed a prejudice leaning toward non-indictment, right in front of the victim. Sometimes investigators have preconceptions, but they usually don't make it obvious to the victim while conducting an investigation. But that person was actually like that from the very beginning.]
While the assault charges could no longer be punished due to the expiration of the statute of limitations, the police decided not to send the case regarding special rape, which was the most severe harm, citing insufficient evidence.
However, the situation flipped when the prosecution, reviewing the victim's case records, suddenly ordered a reinvestigation.
[School Violence Victim: When I walked in for my first prosecution interrogation, they told me, 'This case is not something that should have been buried like this.' Tears just started welling up in my eyes then... Ah, there is someone who believes me.]
Following the prosecution's reinvestigation, one ringleader and three accomplices were sent to trial in August of last year on charges including special rape and child abuse. In July of this year, the female ringleader was sentenced to 8 years in prison, and the other perpetrators all received prison terms of 4 years or more.
The team from SBS program "Unanswered Questions" tracked down the police investigation officials involved at the time to ask about the course of the investigation, and they still poured out remarks that seemed to shield the perpetrator.
[Police Official Involved at the Time: When we looked at the perpetrator during our years of investigation, she was indeed someone who couldn't take the lead on anything by herself. On the other hand, I pity her. Simply put, she's just someone who acts as a screen in the background.]
Experts who reviewed the case pointed out that investigative agencies need to take responsible action to ensure that the victims' voices are not silenced.
[School Violence Victim: Things could have turned out this way, so how could the judgments be so different? This means it could have become a nonexistent case despite carrying such heavy prison sentences. It feels so devastating.]
Netizens who encountered the case showed angry reactions such as, "The prosecution saved a case that was almost buried forever" and "It makes no sense that relief for victims depends on the luck of the draw."
(Planner: Yoon Sung-sik, Video Editing: Kim Na-on, Screen Source: "Unanswered Questions" Episode 1500, Produced by SBS Digital News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.
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