'Apgujeong Box Girl' Receives Suspended Prison Sentence on Appeal: "Social Controversy, Original Sentence Too Lenient"

Court: "The defendant is also aware the sentence was light"
Suspended prison sentences for two production company representatives as well

Court image (photo to aid article understanding). Asia Economy DB

A woman in her twenties, accused of walking around nightlife districts such as Apgujeong-dong in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, wearing only a box and encouraging passersby to touch her body for broadcast content, received a suspended prison sentence on appeal. Considering that she was previously fined 4 million won in the first trial, the level of punishment has been significantly increased.

On September 17, the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Appellate Division 2-2 (Presiding Judges Kang Heeseok, Cho Euna, and Kwak Junghan) sentenced Ms. Lee, who was indicted on charges of public indecency, to eight months in prison, suspended for two years, and ordered her to complete 40 hours of sexual violence prevention education.

The level of punishment for the heads of the content production company, who were indicted together, was also raised. In the first trial, they were fined 5 million won and 40 million won, respectively, but in the second trial, their sentences were changed to 10 months in prison suspended for two years, and one year in prison suspended for two years.

The court stated, "The prosecutor appealed, claiming the sentence was too light, and the defendant herself is also aware of this," adding, "Considering that the case was reported in the media and caused public controversy, the original sentence can be considered too lenient. Therefore, we have overturned the first trial and determined a new sentence."

In October 2023, they filmed Ms. Lee inside a box, encouraging passersby to touch her chest in busy areas such as Apgujeong and Hongdae in Seoul, and released the footage on social media, earning her the nickname 'Apgujeong Box Girl.'

Ms. Lee is also currently undergoing her first trial at the Seoul Central District Court on separate charges of purchasing ketamine, a controlled substance, in violation of the Narcotics Control Act.

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