Supreme Court Confirms Not Guilty Verdict for Musical Actor Kang Eun-il in 'Forced Molestation' Case

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The Supreme Court has upheld the not guilty verdict for musical actor Kang Eun-il (25), who was sentenced to prison in the first trial on charges of sexual assault but acquitted in the second trial.

The Supreme Court's First Division (Presiding Justice Kim Seon-su) announced on the 23rd that it confirmed the appellate court's not guilty ruling in Kang's appeal trial on charges of sexual assault.

The court stated, "The appellate court did not err by departing from the limits of free evaluation of evidence contrary to logic and the rules of experience, nor did it misinterpret the law."

Kang was indicted on charges of forcibly assaulting A, an acquaintance and a high school classmate of the acquaintance, in March 2018 while having a meal. At the time, Kang was accused of forcibly kissing A, who was about to enter the women's restroom stall, by calling her "noona" (older sister), wrapping one arm around her waist, and touching her chest with the other hand.

The first trial found the victim A's testimony credible and sentenced Kang to six months in prison and 40 hours of sexual violence treatment program.

The second trial overturned the ruling to not guilty, stating, "Since the movements of Kang and A confirmed on the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage contradict A's testimony and align more with Kang's claims, it is difficult to consider trusting A's testimony as a reasonable credibility judgment."

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