'DNA Match' Leads to Arrest of Perpetrator in 19-Year-Old Sexual Assault Case Involving Disabled Victim

Unsolved Case Closed Due to Inability to Identify Suspect at the Time
Secured DNA Stored in National Forensic Service Database

[Asia Economy Reporter Bang Je-il] The perpetrator of a sexual assault case against a disabled person from 19 years ago, which was almost permanently unsolved, was caught through DNA comparison analysis and has been brought to trial.

According to Newsis on the 20th, the Women and Violent Crimes Division of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office Seongnam Branch (Chief Prosecutor Song Jeong-eun) announced that on the 16th, Mr. A (in his 60s) was arrested and indicted on charges including rape. Mr. A is accused of luring the victim, Mr. B (29 years old at the time), who had a mental disability, to a lodging house in an underground shopping center in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province on May 14, 2004, locking the door to prevent escape, and sexually assaulting him. It was reported that due to the shock from the incident, Mr. B suffered severe trauma and was unable to go outside for some time.

On the 20th, the Women's and Violent Crimes Division of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office Seongnam Branch (Chief Prosecutor Song Jeong-eun) announced that A (in his 60s) was arrested and indicted on the 16th on charges including rape.
[Photo by Asia Economy]

At the time, the police secured DNA from the victim’s clothing but could not identify the suspect, resulting in the case being closed as unsolved. The secured DNA was stored in the database of the National Forensic Service.

After time passed, the prosecution confirmed around January 2022 that the DNA of a defendant convicted of another sexual crime matched the DNA found on Mr. B’s pants stored at the National Forensic Service. The Act on the Use and Protection of DNA Identification Information allows for the collection of DNA samples from criminals convicted of sexual offenses to verify identity.

The prosecution requested the police to reopen the investigation and to secure objective evidence that could prove the method of the crime. The police reinforced the evidence by obtaining hospital medical records that contained detailed statements from the victim shortly after the crime.

The prosecution, having received the case from the police, applied the special provision excluding the statute of limitations under the Sexual Violence Punishment Act and arrested and indicted Mr. A on the 16th.

A prosecution official stated, “Regarding the long-unsolved case from 19 years ago where the perpetrator was not found after DNA collection, the prosecution compared and matched the DNA it collected with the DNA stored by the National Forensic Service, swiftly resolving a case that was almost permanently unsolved and apprehending the criminal,” adding, “We have strictly punished the sexual violence crime committed against a socially vulnerable person with a mental disability.”

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