"Didn’t testify properly," "Why blame adults"…Words heard by a middle school girl victim of group assault

Victim's Lawyer: "School Violence Committee Causes Secondary Harm to Victim During Investigation"
"One Police Officer Said, 'Why Blame Adults?'"
"Victimized Student Only Tears Out of Frustration... Complains of Mental Trauma"

The scene during the assault on a middle school girl in Yangsan, Gyeongnam, last July. / Photo by 'Neighborhood Lawyer Ryongbyeon' YouTube video capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Ju-hyung] Regarding the brutal group assault on a Mongolian middle school girl, A, by four peers last year in Yangsan, Gyeongnam, A's attorney Kwon Seong-ryong has called for "continuous public attention."

In a video posted on the YouTube channel 'Neighborhood Lawyer Ryongbyeon' on the 26th, Attorney Kwon stated, "Not only has proper punishment for the perpetrators not been carried out, but the victim has been suffering for months due to superficial investigations by the school, the education office, and the police."

According to Attorney Kwon, the students who assaulted A received an 8-hour community service order under the 4th measure from the School Violence Countermeasure Committee (Hakpokwi). He criticized this, saying, "It is absolutely incomprehensible that they only received the 4th measure. A was not even able to attend the Hakpokwi, and she did not know what measures the perpetrators received."

A reportedly attended the Hakpokwi only in January, about six months after the incident. Until then, the Hakpokwi had been judging the incident based on the perpetrators' statements, according to Attorney Kwon. Furthermore, even after A attended, some committee members allegedly engaged in 'secondary victimization,' continuing the controversy.

Attorney Kwon said, "There were questions blaming A for not giving proper testimony, suggesting that the delay in resolving the case was her fault. While not all Hakpokwi operate this way, some do not properly verify facts and even cause secondary harm to victims," he criticized.

He added, "Investigations by law enforcement were also inadequate. One police officer reportedly told A, 'Speaking as a senior in life, you were not dragged and beaten for no reason; you were drinking together and got hit, so why blame the adults?' A was so distressed that she only shed tears," he conveyed.

He emphasized again, "A is suffering severe psychological damage to the extent that she has lost the courage to live due to this incident. We ask for continuous attention so that the perpetrators receive appropriate punishment."

On the Cheongwadae National Petition Board, a petition demanding the disclosure of the identities of the offending students and strict punishment was posted, receiving the agreement of over 200,000 people. / Photo by Cheongwadae National Petition Board capture

Meanwhile, according to the Yangsan Police Station in Gyeongnam, the four perpetrators are accused of tying up and assaulting A in July last year. At the time, A had run away from home due to family conflicts, and one of the perpetrators, B, who knew this, called A to her house. However, a relative searching for A after her runaway assaulted B, and B and others retaliated by assaulting A.

The four not only mocked A's nationality but also forced her to drink alcohol, tied her up, and slapped her multiple times. They also filmed the assault and distributed the video.

Despite the brutal assault, the police only applied charges of joint assault against the perpetrators and sent the case to the prosecution. Later, the court ruled that the four, being just 14 years old and newly out of criminal minority status with immature social judgment, would be sent to the family court juvenile division.

In January, the Ulsan Family Court Juvenile Division (Judge Lee Hyun-jung), which handled their trial, reportedly scolded the four perpetrators loudly in court.

When the court asked, "Did you hit without any thought?" the students admitted, "Yes." The court reprimanded them, saying, "That's something only animals do," and "Your thoughtless actions caused a huge public uproar." The students reportedly bowed their heads and cried upon hearing the court's scolding.

The court sentenced all four perpetrators to short-term juvenile detention of up to six months.

In response, A's side claimed police negligence and demanded a reinvestigation. On December 5 last year, a petition demanding severe punishment and public disclosure of the perpetrators' names was posted on the Blue House's public petition board, garnering over 220,000 signatures.

Amid growing controversy, the Gyeongnam Police began reinvestigating the case in December last year and added six charges. The additional charges include forcible molestation, production and distribution of sexually exploitative material (video), insult, retaliatory threats, joint coercion, and unlawful confinement.

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