Miryang Sexual Assault Perpetrator's Identity Exposed... Controversy Over Violation of Victim's 'Right to Be Forgotten'

Explosion in Views of Private Sanction Content
Victims Point Out 'Secondary Harm'

Recently, the identities of the perpetrators involved in the Miryang group sexual assault case have been repeatedly disclosed on social networking services (SNS), leading to a renewed public discussion of the incident. However, there are concerns that private sanctions imposed without the victim's consent could constitute 'secondary victimization.'

According to the police on the 10th, the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency has received five complaints alleging defamation due to the unauthorized disclosure of personal information related to YouTube videos about the Miryang sexual assault case. The YouTube channel Narak Bogwan-so disclosed the occupations, personal information, and ages of three perpetrators involved in the Miryang sexual assault case from the 1st to the 6th, but these videos have since been deleted. The videos recorded 3.31 million views within five days, and other videos also surpassed 1 million views within 2 to 3 days of posting. YouTubers upload private sanction content because they can gain significant profits from high view counts.

The content related to the Miryang sexual assault rapidly spread online. This case involves 44 high school students who lured a middle school girl from Ulsan to Miryang in December 2004 and sexually assaulted her continuously for a year. At that time, the Ulsan District Prosecutor's Office indicted 10 perpetrators (7 detained and 3 not detained), and 20 were sent to juvenile detention centers. The remaining perpetrators either reached an agreement with the victim or were not included in the complaint, resulting in a 'no prosecution' decision.

The disclosure of the perpetrators' identities this time is problematic because it was done without the victim's consent. On the 5th, Narak Bogwan-so claimed, "Discussions concluded with the decision to disclose both the victim's family and the perpetrators' identities." However, the Korea Sexual Violence Counseling Center criticized this in a statement, saying, "The victim was completely unaware of this before the first video was posted" and that the victim was never asked for prior consent or questioned. In response, the YouTuber stated on the 7th, "I had close conversations with the Miryang victims. There was a sincere request from the victim. I have taken down all the videos I made related to Miryang. Please also unsubscribe."

On the 5th, the Korea Sexual Violence Counseling Center stated that YouTuber Narakbogwanso never sought the victim's consent regarding the disclosure of the perpetrator's identity. [Image source=Korea Sexual Violence Counseling Center website]

Previously, in 2020, when a child sexual assault perpetrator who had caused significant public outrage was released from prison, YouTubers caused disturbances in front of his house and broadcast live streams titled 'Criminal Re-education,' soliciting donations. In response, the local government requested YouTube to stop streaming the videos and appealed, "Please consider the victim's right to be forgotten."

Hyun Hye-soon, director of the Korean Women's Counseling Center, stated, "YouTubers claim to pursue justice under the guise of private sanctions, but in the process, the perpetrators are mentioned and past events are recalled. This can constitute secondary victimization of victims who are undergoing healing and recovery." She added, "If the level of punishment is inadequate, it should be addressed through improvements in the judicial system. Private sanctions by YouTubers infringe upon the victim's right to recovery."

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