Prosecution Seeks 6-Year Prison Sentence for Former National Figure Skater Lee Gyu-hyun Accused of Sexual Harassment of Student

Uijeongbu District Prosecutors' Office Namyangju Branch.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin, Legal Affairs Specialist] The prosecution has requested a six-year prison sentence for Lee Gyu-hyun (42), a former national figure skating representative, who is on trial for sexually assaulting and attempting to rape a minor student.

According to the legal community on the 28th, the prosecution recently asked the court to sentence Lee to six years in prison during the final hearing held at the Criminal Division 1 of the Uijeongbu District Court Namyangju Branch (Presiding Judge Park Ok-hee).

Additionally, the prosecution requested that Lee be ordered to complete a sexual violence treatment program, disclose personal information, and face employment restrictions.

In court, the prosecution stated the reason for the sentence request: "The defendant, who was in a position to protect and supervise the victim, abused his superior position to deliberately approach the young student, showing the severity of the crime."

They added, "This is a case of sexual exploitation of a student, one of the chronic problems in the sports world, and due to the defendant’s family influence, the victim is in a situation where normal activities are difficult."

The prosecution also cited the victim’s plea for severe punishment and the defendant’s denial of some charges and lack of remorse as reasons for requesting imprisonment.

Earlier, the Criminal Division 1 of the Uijeongbu District Prosecutors’ Office Namyangju Branch (Chief Prosecutor Son Jeong-sook) indicted Lee in August on charges including violation of the Sexual Violence Punishment Act.

Lee is accused of forcibly sexually assaulting and attempting to rape a teenage student he taught earlier this year. He is also charged with illegally filming videos.

During the trial, Lee admitted to the charges of forcible sexual assault and video recording but denied the attempted rape charge.

Lee competed in two consecutive Winter Olympics, Nagano in 1998 and Salt Lake City in 2002, and has worked as a coach since retiring in 2003.

The sentencing hearing for Lee is scheduled for the 26th of next month.

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