Child Sexual Abuse, Stabbing Ex-Partner... Supreme Court Justice Nominee's String of Reduced Sentences

A man who committed a sexual crime against a 13-year-old middle school student.

Although the victim did not want punishment, the first instance court ruled that a prison sentence was still necessary and sentenced him to three years in prison.

However, the second instance court was different.

Citing the same lack of desire for punishment, the court reduced the sentence to three years in prison with four years of probation.

The presiding judge at the time was Supreme Court Justice nominee Kim Sung-soo.

It has been confirmed that nominee Kim repeatedly handed down sentence reductions in past cases involving sex crimes against minors and dating violence.

In 2022, for a man sentenced to seven years in prison on charges including distributing sexual exploitation materials targeting minors, the sentence was reduced to five years in prison, taking into account factors such as "acknowledging the crime and reflecting on it" and "having no prior criminal record of penal punishment."

This was a case where the first instance court judged that a heavy sentence was inevitable because, although he had reached a settlement with some victims, the culpability was heavy.

Notable grounds for sentence reductions also appear in dating violence cases.

A man who went to his former partner's home and, upon being rejected, stabbed her in the abdomen with a weapon.

He received a prison term in the first instance, but the appeals court, presided over by nominee Kim, lowered the sentence to three years in prison with four years of probation, citing reasons such as reaching a settlement with the victim and the fact that "minor children are waiting for him."

For a man who repeatedly assaulted his partner and caused her death, the sentence was also reduced from six years in prison to three years in prison with five years of probation, taking into consideration factors such as reaching a settlement with the bereaved family and requesting a 119 emergency call while administering first aid immediately after the crime.

A sentence reduction also came out in a stalking case that took place last year.

An active-duty soldier who made calls with caller ID restriction to a woman for 10 months.

Nominee Kim's panel pointed out that he "made excuses, failed to reflect, and was not forgiven by the victim."

Nevertheless, citing factors such as having "served in the military relatively faithfully," the fine of 3 million won sentenced in the first instance was lowered to 900,000 won.

Public officials can lose their positions if a fine of 1 million won or more for a sex crime is finalized.

Nominee Kim's side stated that they have maintained the view that "the only person who can forgive the defendant is the victim, not a judge," adding that sentences have been determined by comprehensively considering various sentencing factors, including the victim's wishes and changes in circumstances during the appeals trial.

Reported by Kim Minjeong | Video by Lee Eui-seon | Graphics by Lee Jung-ju | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.