Teenagers Sentenced to Prison for Assaulting and Filming Naked Man with Intellectual Disability

Abuse Continued Despite Victim's Pleas for Mercy
Court: "Acts Intended to Maximize Physical Pain"... Parents Also Admonished

All of the teenagers who assaulted a man with an intellectual disability, forcing him to strip naked and subjecting him to violence and cigarette burns, have been sentenced to prison.

The Criminal Division 14 of the Seoul Southern District Court (Presiding Judge Lee Jeonghee) held a sentencing hearing on May 13 for seven teenagers charged with rape and other offenses resulting in injury under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes. The court sentenced Lee (male, age 19), who led the crime and was indicted in custody, to five years in prison. Choi (male, age 18) received an indeterminate sentence of up to five years and a minimum of four years. The remaining five defendants, who were charged without detention, were each sentenced to indeterminate terms with a maximum of three years and a minimum of two years and six months. Indeterminate sentences for juvenile offenders allow for the possibility of early release depending on their rehabilitation progress.

Seoul Southern District Court, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jiye Lee

The court also ordered all defendants to complete 40 hours of a sexual violence treatment program. In addition, Choi’s mobile phone, which was used to film the victim being sexually assaulted while naked, was ordered to be confiscated.

The court did not accept the arguments of some defendants who claimed they did not actively participate in the crime. The court stated, "The defendants continued the abuse even though the victim pleaded for them to stop while crying," and added, "Acts such as burning the victim's arm with a cigarette butt were intended to inflict maximum physical pain."

The court further commented, "If you approach the appeal with the same attitude as now, it is impossible to predict what sentence will be imposed," and advised, "Parents should not only think of their own children but also make efforts to help the victim recover."

Lee and Choi were indicted and detained last November for collectively assaulting a man in his 20s, identified as Mr. A, in a park in the Yeouido area of Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. Five others involved in the crime were indicted without detention. According to the investigation, Lee and his group committed the crime after taking issue with a message Mr. A had sent via social media to one of the female members of the group.

Lee and others lured Mr. A to the park, forced him to undress, and then beat him collectively. The investigation found that they committed particularly cruel acts, such as burning Mr. A’s arm with a cigarette butt and using a lighter to inflict burns on various parts of his body. Choi took photos of Mr. A naked and being abused with his mobile phone. Immediately after the assault, the group also threatened Mr. A, demanding compensation of 4.5 million won, claiming his clothes had been soiled, but they did not actually succeed in taking any money.

Mr. A sustained injuries requiring six weeks of treatment and received hospital care.

Previously, prosecutors had sought sentences of up to ten years and no less than five years in prison for Lee and his accomplices.

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