30s Sentenced to Prison for Molesting Elementary Student on Way to Academy, Saying "Let's Exchange Numbers"

2 Years and 6 Months Imprisonment with 3 Years Probation
Court: "Defendant Likely Fully Aware of Victim's Age"

A man in his 30s who asked an elementary school student going to an academy for her number and molested her was sentenced to a suspended prison term.

According to the legal community on the 6th, the Seoul Southern District Court Criminal Division 13 (Presiding Judge Myeong Jae-kwon) sentenced Mr. A, who was indicted for violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Crimes, etc. (forcible molestation of a minor under 13), to 2 years and 6 months in prison with a 3-year suspension. He was also ordered to attend 40 hours of sexual violence treatment lectures, perform 120 hours of community service, and was banned from employment at institutions related to children, adolescents, and the disabled for 3 years.

Seoul Southern District Court. [Photo by Asia Economy DB]

Mr. A is accused of following the victim, Ms. B (then 11 years old), who was on her way to an academy on a street in Guro-gu, Seoul, in May last year, asking "How old are you? Where are you going?" and touching her arm and hand.

He asked to exchange phone numbers, and when refused, he hugged Ms. B, saying "Hold me."

In court, Mr. A claimed, "I thought the victim was a middle or high school student and did not know she was under 13," but the court rejected this, stating, "The defendant first asked the victim's age, and the victim informed him that she was in the 5th grade of elementary school."

Furthermore, the court criticized, "Considering the victim's appearance, physique, and vocabulary, the defendant, who had a conversation with the victim for about 10 minutes, must have been fully aware that the victim was under 13. He made physical contact with the victim several times and committed the crime near an academy, where children and adolescents should be specially protected."

However, the court stated, "The sentence was determined considering that the degree of molestation was relatively mild, the crime does not appear to have been premeditated, and the defendant generally shows an attitude of remorse."

Meanwhile, the Cheonan Branch of the Daejeon District Court’s 1st Criminal Division sentenced a 49-year-old man to 2 years and 6 months in prison last May for forcibly hugging an 8-year-old girl after approaching her at an apartment playground in Asan, Daejeon, saying he would buy her snacks.

The man admitted to touching the child’s body at the time but claimed he had no intention to molest her, which the court did not accept.

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