Local prosecutors have reopened an investigation into allegations that a female student was gang-raped by seven male students at Cornell University, a prestigious Ivy League institution in the United States.

According to Reuters and other U.S. media outlets, Matthew Van Houten, the District Attorney for Tompkins County, New York, issued a statement on local time yesterday (September 28) announcing that evidence against the seven students will be presented to a grand jury to determine whether to bring charges.

Unlike trial juries that determine a defendant's guilt or innocence, an American grand jury evaluates whether there is probable cause to formally charge based on the evidence presented by the prosecution.

This case came to light when a 20-year-old female student at Cornell University alleged that she was sexually assaulted by seven male students at the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house on campus in October 2024.

Currently, the real names of those identified as perpetrators are circulating on social media and in the Cornell student newspaper.

Among them, a student with the last name Lee, presumed to be of Korean descent, is reportedly included on the list.

The victim filed a lawsuit on September 16, claiming she was gang-raped while completely incapacitated due to alcohol and drugs provided by fraternity members.

Although the woman reported the incident to campus police about three weeks later, prosecutors reportedly did not pursue criminal charges at that time.

Regarding why criminal charges were not pursued previously, District Attorney Van Houten explained that the victim did not mention allegations of gang rape or being drugged in the initial statement she submitted to investigative authorities.

The university stated that it conducted its own investigation and imposed disciplinary actions such as expulsion and suspension on certain students, though it did not disclose the specific number of students disciplined.

In response, Cornell University stated, "The claim that the university did not take substantive disciplinary action against those involved in the incident is not true."

Public criticism condemning the responses of the university and investigative authorities has been spreading rapidly since the incident first became known via U.S. social media.

Celebrities have also raised their voices one after another.

Actor Florence Pugh expressed her support for the victim on her social media, while actor Josh Gad and others strongly criticized Cornell University's disciplinary measures as being overly lenient.

Reported by Kim Minjeong | Video by Lee Dain | Graphics by Lee Sumin | Produced by SBS Digital News