30-Year-Old Man Exploiting and Filming 13-Year-Old Boy Posing as Middle School Girl Sentenced to 15 Years in Second Trial

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] "As a parent, I wonder how someone can commit such acts on such a young child for so long. I want to do something about the defendant, but I am restraining myself because this is a court. Honestly, I hope the defendant never comes out into the world again." (Victim's mother)

A man in his 30s who pretended to be a female peer student, lured a 13-year-old boy, sexually exploited him, filmed videos, and threatened him was sentenced to 15 years in prison in the appellate court as well.

According to the legal community on the 2nd, the Seoul High Court Criminal Division 11-2 (Presiding Judge Hwang Uidong) recently upheld the first trial's judgment and dismissed both the prosecution's and defendant A's appeals in the case where A was charged with violating the Juvenile Sexual Protection Act (production and distribution of sexual exploitation materials, quasi-sexual acts, coercion, etc.). The prosecution's request for an electronic monitoring device (electronic anklet) attachment order was also dismissed as in the first trial.

The appellate court stated, "The defendant was ultimately unforgivable, and the young victim is still suffering psychological damage. We have read many submitted letters of remorse, but on the other hand, the victim's side still pleads for severe punishment," adding, "The sentencing in the original trial did not exceed the reasonable range of discretion."

Previously, A was tried for allegedly committing quasi-sexual acts 21 times over about 1 year and 9 months starting from December 2018 against B, who was 13 years old at the time, at A's home in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul.

According to the prosecution, A used social networking services (SNS) to pretend to be a female middle school student and lured B by suggesting that if he came to A's house, they would have sexual relations. Then, A locked the door to prevent escape and threatened harm if B resisted, committing quasi-sexual acts against him. In February of the following year, A threatened B by saying, "If you don't come to my house, I will find your friends," and made him come over. A also filmed the crime scenes three times, producing sexual exploitation materials.

The first trial sentenced A to 15 years in prison, stating, "The crime is very serious as it was committed repeatedly over a long period against a same-sex child and adolescent victim." The sentence also included 80 hours of sexual violence program completion, 10 years of public disclosure and notification of personal information, and a 10-year employment restriction order for child and disabled-related facilities. However, the request for an electronic anklet attachment order was dismissed.

At the first appellate hearing, A's side claimed, "We want to have more opportunities to reach an agreement with the victim's side." However, B's lawyer emphasized in court, "The victim's current condition is serious, and it will take considerable time to recover," adding, "We cannot accept any settlement." B's mother also pleaded for severe punishment from the gallery.

Meanwhile, A filed an appeal against the second trial's judgment on the 31st of last month.

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