"Mom, that rapist is getting out soon"…Mother of high school girl who committed suicide petitions for harsh punishment of perpetrator

"Strengthening Sentencing Guidelines, Need for Harsher Punishment"
Court Reduces Offender's Sentence from 9 Years to 7 Years

On the 16th of last month, in front of the Chuncheon District Prosecutors' Office and Chuncheon District Court buildings in Chuncheon City, Gangwon Province, the Gangwon Women's Solidarity and the mother of a deceased high school girl who was sexually assaulted held a press conference condemning the judiciary. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] A national petition demanding strict punishment for the perpetrator who received a reduced sentence in the trial related to the case of a high school girl in Chuncheon who took her own life after being sexually assaulted by a senior at her high school has been posted.

On the 3rd, a petition titled "Mom, that guy is coming out of prison... Urging strict punishment for the high school girl who took her own life after sexual assault" was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board.

The mother of the deceased high school girl, Ms. A, stated, "On April 4, 2021, my daughter, at the tender age of 18, said, 'Mom, the perpetrator will soon be released from prison after serving his sentence. I can never watch that with my eyes open,' and then took her own life."

She continued, "We lost everything in the world, our ordinary daily life was completely shattered, and her dreams, future, and happiness were broken into pieces that can never be restored," adding, "However, the perpetrator has never once offered a sincere apology or shown remorse and has denied the charges until the end."

She also said, "How can a parent who has buried their child in their heart express their feelings in words? I think of my daughter dozens, hundreds, thousands of times a day, and my heart aches and I feel suffocated with longing and pain."

Ms. A’s mother said, "Months passed without even separating the perpetrator and the victim, and during that time, we endured longer and more painful days while suffering secondary victimization from the perpetrator, his family, and those around him," pointing out, "The tragic and appalling reality where sexual assault victims have no choice but to open the door to death and the absurd court rulings are driving countless victims to death."

She also appealed, "I earnestly hope for the revision of related laws, strengthening of sentencing guidelines for sex offenders, and harsher punishments so that second and third victims do not arise."

Photo by Yonhap News

Earlier, the perpetrator Mr. B (then 19 years old) sexually assaulted Ms. A after drinking with her in June 2019, when she was intoxicated and unable to control her body properly. In a small school with about 20 students in total, the perpetrator and the victim were not even separated for months, and during that time, Ms. A suffered secondary victimization, including criticism from Mr. B’s family and people around him.

When Mr. B stood trial following Ms. A’s accusation, he claimed, "The victim was not in a state of resistance incapacity and consented to the sexual intercourse at the time. Injuries such as hymenal tears do not constitute rape causing injury." The Chuncheon District Court Yeongwol Branch, which handled the first trial, sentenced Mr. B to four years in prison.

However, after the incident, Ms. A suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and insomnia, and could not escape the depths of suffering for a long time, ultimately taking an extreme step before the second trial verdict.

The appellate court recognized a causal relationship between Ms. A’s death and the sexual assault and increased Mr. B’s sentence to nine years. However, the Supreme Court overturned the ruling, stating that the defendant was not given the right to defense, and remanded the case. At the trial held on the 9th of last month, the Seoul High Court Chuncheon Branch overturned the original sentence of nine years and sentenced Mr. B to seven years in prison.

The court stated, "It is difficult to see a direct causal relationship between the victim’s death and the crime in this case," and added, "After careful consideration, the judgment was made within the sentencing guidelines (5 to 8 years)."

In response, Ms. A’s mother and women’s organizations criticized the court for denying the causal relationship between the crime and the victim’s death and urged the prosecution to appeal again, but the prosecution did not comply.

On the other hand, Mr. B, who has consistently claimed innocence on the grounds that "the victim was not in a state of mental incapacity or resistance incapacity," has once again filed an appeal.

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