Prosecution Seeks 1-Year Prison Sentence for Former Anchor Kim Seong-jun in Subway Illegal Filming Case

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] Kim Seong-jun (56), former SBS anchor, who was prosecuted for illegally filming a woman with a mobile phone on the subway, was sentenced to one year in prison.

On the 21st, at the sentencing hearing of former anchor Kim held under the supervision of Judge Ryu Hee-hyun of Criminal Division 13 at Seoul Southern District Court, the prosecution requested a sentence of one year in prison, disclosure of personal information, a three-year employment ban at institutions related to children, adolescents, and the disabled, and completion of a sexual assault treatment program.

Earlier, former anchor Kim was prosecuted on charges of secretly filming a woman’s lower body at Yeongdeungpo-gu Office Station on Seoul Subway Lines 2 and 5 on July 3 last year (violation of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment, etc. of Sexual Crimes).

At that time, during the seizure and search of Kim’s mobile phone, the prosecution discovered several photos of women who appeared to have been secretly filmed besides the incident on that day, and included these in the criminal charges, requesting a six-month prison sentence for Kim in January.

However, the court pointed out, "The prosecution did not obtain a subsequent search warrant while conducting the seizure and search for some of the defendant’s crimes," and "The issue is whether such a warrant applies to other crimes."

The court decided to wait for the Supreme Court’s ruling, as a similar case is currently under appeal, before proceeding with the trial again.

Because of this, the court’s sentencing was postponed, and the trial resumed on this day.

The prosecution stated, "Even if the crime described in the warrant is not the same, the Supreme Court has ruled that the seizure of evidence related to similar crimes committed around the same time is legally valid," and added, "Considering the recent need for strengthened punishment for sexual crimes and similar cases," they requested an increased sentence of one year in prison compared to the previous request.

Former anchor Kim said, "I have spent each day deeply reflecting while waiting for the trial," and "Above all, I hope the victim’s wounds will be healed."

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