"Will Writing a Reflection Letter Reduce the Sentence?"... Those Who Share 'Sentence Reduction Know-How' Even After Committing Sexual Crimes

Confessions of Crimes Such as Rape, Molestation, and Illegal Filming Continue... Citizens' 'Anger'
Cafe Operators Actively Encourage Legal Consultation Through Partnership with Law Firm
Experts Say "There Are Virtually No Regulations to Sanction"

People who have committed heinous sex crimes and are trying to reduce their sentences are gathering in online cafes. They study and exchange opinions on methods to write apology letters and other ways to reduce their sentences. There are criticisms that they show interest in favorable sentencing conditions rather than deep remorse for the victims.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] An online cafe that prepares a kind of 'sentence reduction tactic' to receive lighter sentences even after committing sex crimes is openly operating, sparking public outrage. Critics point out that this is a shameless and heartless attitude aimed not at reflecting on the victims who have suffered horrific pain such as sexual assault, but rather at reducing their own punishment.

This issue came to light recently when a post titled "Discovered a strange cafe while searching the internet" was uploaded on an online community. Operating under the name 'SexCrimeOOOOCafe,' this place had about 57,000 members as of the morning of the 1st, and the total number of posts exceeds 120,000, indicating very active operation.

Most members are accused of committing sex crimes, and they share know-how on sentence reduction, police investigation reviews, and case precedents. The cafe administrator also stated in a notice, "This is an information-sharing community for those troubled by sex crimes. Please do not join if you have no ongoing cases or are unrelated." Various boards are operated according to crime types such as molestation, rape, illegal filming, prostitution, violations of the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse (Acheonbeop), and cyber sex crimes.

Members provide detailed explanations of their cases on the relevant crime-type boards, including case names, dates and times of occurrence, locations, and stages of case progress, exchanging know-how on sentence reduction and trial procedures.

The cafe also contains a sex crime response manual with contents such as "Tips to minimize disadvantages when found guilty," "Preparing sentencing materials," "How to write a letter of apology," and "Tips for reaching agreements with victims." The management actively encourages cafe members to seek legal and psychological counseling through partnerships with law firms and counseling centers.

On the 'Please Congratulate Me' board of OO Cafe, posts sharing news such as acquittals and sentence reductions are uploaded. Photo by OO Cafe 'Please Congratulate Me' board capture.

Members are afraid of being punished if their charges are recognized. Many posts express feelings such as "I feel suffocated," "Tomorrow is the sentencing day. I am anxious," and "Daylight hours are scary." Members comfort each other by confessing their cases in comments or celebrate sentencing outcomes and acquittals.

However, citizens are furious at those who commit sex crimes but do not reflect and instead strive to receive lighter sentences. Netizens commented, "There are 50,000 sex offenders, so why not shut down such cafes," "It's disgusting to see criminals pitying each other," and "We should report this to the cyber investigation unit."

Some members feel unfairly criticized for the negative perception of the cafe. Member A, who was acquitted of rape charges last year, said, "My daily life turned into hell due to the despair and anxiety of almost becoming a criminal because of false accusations," adding, "From my perspective, if it weren't for the OO Cafe, it would have been really difficult."

He continued, "After the Telegram sexual exploitation case broke out, I was truly angry that the media portrayed everyone in the OO Cafe as sex offenders sharing information to reduce sentences," and even demanded, "Reporters should write articles about the benefits of OO Cafe."

The cafe administrator also introduced the cafe as "just a community where people with similar interests gather" in a notice, stating, "It is unfortunate to be viewed with prejudice."

Nevertheless, many posts still contain members confessing their crimes. Numerous posts admit to various types of sex crimes such as "engaging in prostitution with minors," "joining the Telegram Nth Room," "distributing child and adolescent pornography (Acheonmul)," "committing quasi-rape," and "illegal filming in restrooms."

Others also complain about being raided for possession of Acheonmul or being sued for sexual harassment on social networking services (SNS).

Experts have suggested that it is practically impossible to regulate such communities despite citizens' calls for sanctions. Professor Lee Soo-jung, a criminal psychology professor at Kyonggi University, explained, "It is a complex issue. Most sentencing factors (elements considered when deciding the sentence within the statutory range) are publicly available on websites, so there are likely no regulations to consider this illegal and impose sanctions."

She added, "Members probably gathered in the community to share information related to trials and investigations out of their own needs," but criticized, "However, lawyers who help clear sentences for obvious criminals to gain benefits must have serious ethical issues as professionals."

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