20s Accused of Molestation in 'Manwon Subway' Acquitted in First Trial... What Is the Reason?

"Possibility That Someone Else Touched the Victim..."
"No Proof That the Defendant Is the Perpetrator of the Molestation"

A subway station in Seoul during rush hour. The photo is unrelated to the article content. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] A man in his 20s who was prosecuted for sexual harassment in a crowded subway station was acquitted in the first trial.

According to the court on the 6th, Judge Park Hyerim of the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 13 recently acquitted Mr. A (28, male), who was charged with violating the Sexual Violence Punishment Act (molestation in a crowded public place).

Earlier, Mr. A was prosecuted on charges of molesting victim Mr. B by grabbing his left buttock with his hand while getting off at a subway station in Seoul on November 10, 2020.

At the time, the subway was packed with passengers. After the incident, Mr. B immediately protested to Mr. A, who was on his left, but when Mr. A got off the subway without any response, Mr. B followed and caught him, according to the investigation.

During the trial, Mr. A's side strongly denied the charges, stating, "At that time, I was holding a cellphone in my left hand, and my right hand was placed in front of my chest (because I had glasses in my shirt pocket and was worried they might break)."

Regarding why he did not respond immediately to Mr. B's protest, Mr. A argued, "I was wearing earphones and did not realize it because the subway was crowded," and "When the victim pushed me against the bulletin board, I took off the earphones and replied, 'I don't know what happened.'"

The first trial judged Mr. A's charges as not guilty. Judge Park explained, "According to the victim's testimony, it does not appear that the defendant was directly seen grabbing the body," and "The victim testified that 'someone grabbed my left buttock, and at that time, I shouted loudly thinking the man standing on my left touched me.'"

He added, "The CCTV footage at the time shows that many people were getting off, and there is a scene where the defendant looks back at the victim after coming out first," and "The defendant's statement that he did not realize (Mr. B calling out) because passengers were pushing from behind is credible."

Judge Park stated, "It is also possible that the person on the victim's right touched with his left hand," and "Based on the evidence submitted by the prosecution alone, it is difficult to conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that the person who molested the victim was the defendant."

The prosecution appealed the first trial verdict.

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