"Sexual Harassment" Claim After Not Playing Together... Six Months Imprisonment Due to False Report by Elementary School Daughter's Friend

Judgment document released by the Korea Sexual Crime False Accusation Center regarding the case of a friend’s father who served six months in prison due to a false report by an elementary school student. / Photo by Korea Sexual Crime False Accusation Center Facebook

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] The story of a 10-year-old elementary school girl who falsely reported a friend's father for sexual harassment because he "did not play with her" and ended up serving six months in prison has come to light.

The Korea Sexual Crime False Accusation Counseling Center revealed on Facebook on the 13th the story of a friend’s father who served six months in prison due to a false report by an elementary school girl.

According to the report, Mr. A, who was accused, went to pick up his daughter who was playing at the home of his daughter’s friend, Ms. B. At that time, Ms. B demanded Mr. A to "play with her more" and said, "If you don’t play with me, I will report you to 112 (emergency number)." Mr. A, fearing that Ms. B might actually report him for sexual harassment and thinking he should inform her parents about her bad behavior, recorded a 6-second video of himself playing with her.

After Mr. A returned home, Ms. B called 112 and reported that she had been sexually harassed by Mr. A. During the investigation, Ms. B testified that Mr. A touched her legs and buttocks over her clothes, and despite her refusal, put his hand inside her clothes and touched her genitals.

As a result, Mr. A was urgently arrested and prosecuted on charges of violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Crimes (forcible molestation of a minor under 13). Since this charge requires detention during investigation, Mr. A spent six months in jail until he was acquitted in the first trial.

File photo. The Korean Sexual Crime False Accusation Counseling Center revealed the story of a friend’s father who served six months in prison due to a false report by an elementary school student on the 13th. / Photo by Yonhap News

The court ruled Mr. A not guilty based on the key evidence of the approximately 6-second video he recorded. The video shows Ms. B pulling Mr. A’s hair, and the court judged that "it can be inferred that no sexual assault occurred before the video was recorded."

The prosecution appealed, arguing that it was impossible for Ms. B, who was only 10 years old, to have made a false report. However, the second trial court also found Ms. B’s testimony insufficiently credible and acquitted Mr. A.

The court stated, "It cannot be ruled out that Ms. B falsely reported the sexual harassment incident to pressure the defendant, who no longer played with her and took a firm stance," and judged, "It seems that the incident, which did not occur, was reported and then the surrounding circumstances were fabricated."

Furthermore, the court dismissed the appeal, stating, "The statement analysis by the 0000 Center’s statement officer cannot be trusted as it excluded the possibility that Ms. B lied and instead prematurely assumed that Ms. B was a victim of sexual violence even though she was not forcibly molested, and led her testimony accordingly."

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