Partial Loss of CCTV Footage During 'Donggeupsaeng Group Sexual Assault' Case... Controversy Over Police Negligence

Two suspects, including A (15), who are accused of gang raping a peer student attending the same school, entered the Incheon District Court in Michuhol-gu, Incheon City on the afternoon of the 9th to undergo a pre-arrest detention hearing (warrant review). Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] Controversy over inadequate investigation has arisen after it was confirmed that the police failed to properly record some footage showing the male students who assaulted their classmate in Incheon, resulting in the loss of the video evidence.

The legal representative of the victim recently revealed on the 17th that they received a response from the Incheon Yeonsu Police Station, the jurisdictional office, stating that "the requested video footage does not exist."

The requested footage was reportedly recorded on December 23 of last year and shows the victim, who was intoxicated and unconscious, being dragged from the apartment where the crime took place.

The police visited the apartment management office on December 26, three days after the crime, to review the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage capturing the scene, but it was found that the footage was not properly recorded.

During the process of reviewing the case-related video materials, the police discovered that some footage was missing; however, the original videos had already been deleted as the retention period had expired.

According to the legal representative, the police explained, "Although the video does not exist, there is an investigation report on the footage viewed by the responsible investigator, detailing the time frames of each scene."

However, the victim's side expressed grievances, stating that in addition to the loss of video evidence, the police failed to accept requests for personal protection, resulting in secondary harm, and criticized the investigation as delayed and inadequate.

Furthermore, the victim's side claimed that the police also refused to seize the mobile phones of the perpetrators suspected of illegal filming.

The legal representative pointed out, "The missing footage shows one of the accused students, who currently denies the charges, smiling while dragging the victim. If the video had been secured, it could have been used to appeal against the accused who are denying the allegations, which is regrettable."

Earlier, on the 14th, the Yeonsu Police Station sent two male middle school students, including A (15), to the prosecution with a recommendation for indictment on charges of rape and injury under the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Crimes.

A and others are accused of giving alcohol to B, a female student attending the same middle school, at a gym in an apartment in Incheon on December 23 last year, then dragging her to the stairs near the rooftop and sexually assaulting her.

It was investigated that they targeted B as the victim because she was close to a junior student they had been bullying at school.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.