"27 Arrested for Forcing and Buying Pohang Middle School Girl into Prostitution, 'All Atrocities to Younger Sister'"

12 People Forced Victims into Prostitution
15 More Arrested for Buying Sex via Dating Apps
Incident Started Last Month with Forced Prostitution and Group Assault
Perpetrators Include Juvenile Offenders of Similar Age
"Spat on Younger Sibling and Burned with Cigarette" Petition to Blue House Sparks Outrage

One of those involved in the group assault on the victim was a criminal minor under the Juvenile Act. / Photo by Asia Economy DB

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Ju-hyung] In Pohang, Gyeongbuk, police have expanded their investigation into a case where a middle school girl was forced into prostitution and subjected to group assault, arresting an additional 27 suspects.

The Pohang Northern Police Station announced on the 28th that three individuals, including Mr. A, were detained on charges of coercing a middle school girl into transactional sex (violation of the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles Against Sexual Abuse), and nine others were booked without detention.

Additionally, 15 people, including Mr. B, were booked without detention on charges of purchasing sex from the middle school girl.

The 12 individuals, including Mr. A, who forced prostitution, are accused of providing convenience to the runaway victim from January to April, then coercing her into transactional sex and arranging clients for her. It was confirmed that they received 150,000 KRW per meeting, gave 50,000 KRW to the victim, and embezzled the remaining 100,000 KRW.

Meanwhile, the 15 suspects, including Mr. B, were found to have engaged in prostitution with the victim through a transactional sex application (app).

With the additional arrests, the total number of people booked in connection with this case has risen to 35.

Pohang Northern Police Station / Photo by Yonhap News

Earlier, after a group assault occurred on a victim who refused transactional sex on the 7th of last month, the police expanded their investigation over about two months into similar crimes in the Pohang area.

This case began when a 22-year-old man, Mr. C, instructed middle school girls he knew to find peers for transactional sex. Three middle school girls coerced a peer victim into transactional sex, but the victim refused and reported it to the police.

Once the police investigation began, the middle school girls called friends and collectively assaulted the victim from the 7th until the morning of the 8th. Mr. C also participated in the assault, resulting in the victim being severely injured and transported to a nearby intensive care unit for treatment.

At that time, the police detained seven of the eight perpetrators in their teens and twenties involved in the group assault, excluding one juvenile offender.

In relation to the case in Pohang, Gyeonggi, where a middle school girl was forced into prostitution and subjected to group assault, an additional 27 suspects have been arrested in large numbers. / Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, this case drew public outrage after being publicized on the Blue House's National Petition Board last month under the title "My younger sister's future was destroyed by forced prostitution and group assault."

The petitioner, who identified themselves as a family member of the victim, explained, "The assault began on the rooftop of a building where my sister was forced to stand, under the perpetrators' justification of retaliation for the report. This scene was broadcast live via video calls and videos, spreading in real-time among peers, and one student who saw the video reported it."

They continued, "Seven people beat a young girl until she nearly died. If the report had not been made and only time had passed, she would have truly died," expressing outrage. "Among the five middle school girl perpetrators, one was a juvenile offender born in July," they added.

They urged severe punishment for the perpetrators, stating, "They committed unimaginable atrocities such as sexually assaulting my unconscious sister, spitting on her, and burning her with cigarettes, acts that are beyond common sense." The petition received 158,715 signatures over one month.

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