'Drunken Public Official Accused of Sexual Harassment of Female Employee at Company Dinner' Appeal for 'Unfair Sentencing' Dismissed

Court: "The degree of molestation is not light, and the victims have suffered considerable psychological shock"

[Asia Economy Reporter Ra Young-cheol] The appeal of a public official accused of sexually harassing female employees while intoxicated has been dismissed.

The Criminal Division 1 of Uijeongbu District Court (Presiding Judge Lee Hyun-kyung) announced on the 19th, "The appeal of A (53), an employee of Uijeongbu City Hall in Gyeonggi Province, who was indicted without detention on charges of forcible molestation, has been dismissed," adding, "As in the first trial, he was sentenced to 8 months in prison with a 2-year probation, ordered to attend 40 hours of sexual violence treatment lectures, and perform 80 hours of community service."

The appellate court explained the reason for dismissal in the judgment, stating, "Although the defendant drank alcohol and a long time has passed, making his memory uncertain, the degree of molestation is not light, and it appears that the victims suffered considerable psychological shock," and "The sentencing in the original trial is deemed appropriate."

The appellate court also rejected the prosecution's claim of 'inappropriate sentencing' that opposed the first trial's verdict on the same day.

A was indicted on charges of sexually harassing two female employees consecutively while heavily intoxicated at a company dinner at a restaurant in Uijeongbu City in July 2017. He denied the charges in the first trial, but the court did not accept his denial.

The first trial court stated, "Although the defendant denies the crime despite multiple pieces of evidence proving the offense, claiming that he misunderstood the actions of another superior," and "there is a lack of sincere remorse."

Meanwhile, the victim's side is reportedly considering requesting disciplinary action against secondary perpetrators, including employees who spread rumors related to the incident.

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