Miryang gang rape

Last updated
Miryang middle school girl gang rape case
Native name 밀양지역 여중생 집단 강간 사건
Date2004
Location Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea
Type
PerpetratorMale high school students
Korean name
Hangul
밀양지역 여중생 집단 강간 사건
Hanja
密陽地域女中生集團强奸事件
Revised Romanization Miryang-jiyeok yeojungsaeng jipdan ganggan sageon
McCune–Reischauer Miryang-jiyŏk yŏjungsaeng chiptan kanggan sagŏn

The Miryang middle school girl gang rape case was a criminal incident that occurred in Miryang, South Korea in 2004. As many as 120 male high school students gang raped several middle school and high school girls over the course of 11 months. [1] The case provoked controversy due to police mistreatment of the victims and lenient handling of the offenders.

Contents

Background

The victims lived in Ulsan and Changwon, while the perpetrators were from Miryang and Changwon. [2] The perpetrators were initially believed to be members of a high school gang, [3] but little evidence for this was found. [4]

They met the first 14-year-old victim over the phone. When she visited them, she was sexually assaulted, with the scene being filmed for blackmail.

According to police, she was raped up to 10 times by three to 24 high school boys in each occurrence. At least 44 boys were involved in the attacks over a period of 11 months. [1] [3]

The girl was ordered to bring her 13-year-old sister and 16-year-old cousin to Miryang, [3] where the cousin was assaulted. The original police report stated that the younger sister was sexually assaulted as well, but it may only have been a physical assault. [4] The attackers extorted money from their victims. [5]

After the sisters' aunt reported the rapes to the police, [1] three of the boys were arrested. Following protests from the victims and public, another nine students were arrested, and 29 charged. Family members of the perpetrators threatened the victims, warning them that they should "watch out from now on for reporting our sons to police." [3] In a television interview, a parent of one of the offenders stated, "Why should we feel sorry for the victim's family? Why don't you consider our suffering? Who can resist temptation when girls are trying to seduce boys? They should have taught their daughters how to behave in order to avoid this kind of accident." [5] One girl reportedly quit school after repeated visits and verbal abuse from the offenders' parents. [6]

Investigation

A controversy erupted over allegations that the police had mistreated the victims, culminating in a candlelight vigil by 150 protesters. The victims had asked to be questioned by a female police officer, but their request was ignored. One police officer allegedly said to the victims, "Did you try to entice the guys? You ruined the reputation of Miryang. The boys who would be leading the city in the future are now all arrested thanks to you. What are you going to do? [...] I am afraid that my daughter will turn out like you." [7]

Police also leaked enough information to the media for the victims to be identified. Furthermore, they forced the victims to identify the suspects face-to-face, rather than through a one-way mirror, [1] with the officer asking the victim, "Did he insert [it] or not?" [5] One of the victims had to be hospitalized for psychiatric treatment after these experiences. [5]

In August 2007, the Seoul High Court found the Miryang police officers guilty of negligence in protecting the victims, and ordered them to pay damages totaling 50 million to two of the victims and their family. [8] The decision was upheld by the Supreme Court of South Korea in June 2008, which set the compensation at 70 million. [1]

Prosecutors sent most of the accused to juvenile court or dropped charges. Ten others were formally accused of group sexual assault, with prosecutors asking for two to four years imprisonment with a three-year stay of execution. Citing the young age of the offenders and the fact that some had already been admitted to college or hired for jobs, the judges refused the charges against even these ten, instead sending them to Juvenile Court. [5] One factor in this decision was that the father of one of the victims formed an agreement with some of the offenders to plead for leniency after receiving a large sum of money. The father was an alcoholic who had divorced the victim's mother three years prior due to his domestic violence, but retained parental rights over his daughter, and persuaded her to accept the agreement. [5] Ultimately, only five suspects were sent to a youth detention center, and none were convicted of criminal charges. [7]

In 2012, it emerged that the female friend of one of the perpetrators had become a police officer, and it was controversial given that the policewoman had insulted and derided the victims back when it was publicized. [9] [10]

Public response

When the case was first reported on December 7, 2004, internet users started making posts criticizing the realities of education and stating that the perpetrators should be severely punished.

Reports came out on December 8 that among the 44 perpetrators, an arrest warrant was applied for only three, to which netizens responded "arrest all of the perpetrators," and they began to turn loose on the police.

The case regained attention in 2024 when a YouTuber posted videos and exposed the identities of some of the perpetrators. One of them, surnamed Park, was a restaurant owner married with a daughter, while another, surnamed Shin, worked in a car sale company and was subsequently fired from his job after the company got wind of his treachery, and a third was sentenced in 2018 to eight months' jail for loan sharking activities. It also emerged that some of these perpetrators, aged in their late 30s, held stable jobs and had families of their own, and some of them also had daughters. The public opinion was also reportedly unforgiving of the culprits when the incident once again came into public eye, partly due to the fact that these culprits were living good lives without repentance or guilt and the lack of punishment on these people. It was also revealed that Choi, due to discrimination as a result of her status as a sexual assault victim, had lived in a low-profile and her former lawyer lost contact of Choi, whose whereabouts were unknown. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miryang</span> Municipal City in Yeongnam, South Korea

Miryang, formerly also spelled as 推火郡, Milbeol (密伐) and Milseong (密城), is a city in Gyeongsangnam-do Province, South Korea. Its name is originated from the tribal country named Miri midong guk (彌離彌凍國). There are various hypotheses as to the meaning of Miryang, such as Milky Way, Galaxy, dragon's field, The Wheat Field and the watery field. Neighboring cities include Changnyeong to the west, Cheongdo to the north, Ulsan to the east, and Yangsan, Gimhae, and Changwon to the south. The city bird is the Korean magpie, the city tree is the pine, and the city flower is the royal azalea.

In scholarly literature and criminology, gang rape, also called serial gang rape, party rape, group rape, or multiple perpetrator rape, is the rape of a single victim by two or more violators. Gang rapes are forged on shared identity, religion, ethnic group, or race. There are multiple motives for serial gang rapes, such as for sexual entitlement, asserting sexual prowess, war, punishment, and, in up to 30% of cases, for targeting racial minorities, religious minorities, or ethnic groups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rape</span> Type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse without consent

Rape is a type of sexual assault involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person who is incapable of giving valid consent, such as one who is unconscious, incapacitated, has an intellectual disability, or is below the legal age of consent. The term rape is sometimes used interchangeably with the term sexual assault.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Providence (religious movement)</span> Christian new religious movement

Providence, better known as JMS, is a Christian new religious movement founded by Jung Myung-seok in 1980 and headquartered in Wol Myeong-dong, South Korea. Providence has been widely referred to by international media as a cult.

A serial rapist is someone who commits multiple rapes, whether with multiple victims or a single victim repeatedly over a period of time. Some serial rapists target children. The terms sexual predator, repeat rape and multiple offending can also be used to describe the activities of those who commit a number of consecutive rapes, but remain unprosecuted when self-reported in research. Others will commit their assaults in prisons. In some instances, a group of serial rapists will work together. These rapists can have a pattern of behavior that is sometimes used to predict their activities and aid in their arrest and conviction. Serial rapists also differ from one-time offenders because "serial rapists more often involved kidnapping, verbally and physically threatening the victims, and using or threatening the use of weapons."

Open World Entertainment was a South Korean independent record label and talent management company. It was founded in 2000 by Jang Seok-woo and its current roster of recording artists include Kim Horam, The Boss and X-5 as well as actors Ko Joo-won and Shin Ji-soo. Its records are distributed by LOEN Entertainment and has a partnership with Sony Music Entertainment Japan.

The Cho Doo-soon case refers to an assault that took place in Ansan, South-Korea, in December 2008, in which an eight-year-old girl known only as Na-young was kidnapped and raped by Cho Doo-soon, a 57-year-old male, in a bathroom inside a church. This severely damaged the victim's body. Cho was sentenced to 12 years in prison, and appealed on the grounds that the sentence was harsh, but his appeals were rejected. The sentence was later reduced because the criminal was old and claimed he was drunk, and his mental and physical weakness was recognized. The case sparked outrage and protests involving Na-young's parents and many others.

<i>Dont Cry Mommy</i> 2012 film by Kim Yong-han

Don't Cry Mommy is a 2012 South Korean crime drama film directed by Kim Yong-han. The story was about a mother's revenge against her daughter's rapists. It premiered at the 2012 Busan International Film Festival before its theatrical release.

The Derby child sex abuse ring was a group of men who sexually abused up to a hundred girls in Derby, England. In 2010, after an undercover investigation by Derbyshire police, members of the ring were charged with 75 offences relating to 26 girls. Nine of the 13 accused were convicted of grooming and raping girls between 12 and 18 years old. The attacks provoked fierce discussion about race and sexual exploitation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rotherham child sexual exploitation scandal</span> Organised child sexual abuse scandal in Rotherham, England between the 1970s and 2013

The Rotherham child sexual exploitation scandal consists of the organised child sexual abuse that occurred in the town of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, Northern England from the late 1980s until 2013 and the failure of local authorities to act on reports of the abuse throughout most of that period. Researcher Angie Heal, who was hired by local officials and warned them about child exploitation occurring between 2002 and 2007, has since described it as the "biggest child protection scandal in UK history", with one report estimating that 1,400 girls were abused by "grooming gangs". Evidence of the abuse was first noted in the early 1990s, when care home managers investigated reports that children in their care were being picked up by taxi drivers. From at least 2001, multiple reports passed names of alleged perpetrators, several from one family, to the police and Rotherham Council. The first group conviction took place in 2010, when five British-Pakistani men were convicted of sexual offences against girls aged 12–16. From January 2011 Andrew Norfolk of The Times pressed the issue, reporting in 2012 that the abuse in the town was widespread and that the police and council had known about it for over ten years.

<i>Hope</i> (2013 film) South Korean film

Hope, also known as Wish, is a 2013 South Korean drama film directed by Lee Joon-ik, starring Sol Kyung-gu, Uhm Ji-won and Lee Re. It won Best Film at the 34th Blue Dragon Film Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shakti Mills gang rape</span> August 2013 gang rape in Mumbai, India

The 2013 Mumbai gang rape, also known as the Shakti Mills gang rape, refers to the incident in which a 22-year-old photojournalist, who was interning with an English-language magazine in Mumbai, was gang-raped by five people including a juvenile. The incident occurred on 22 August 2013, when she had gone to the deserted Shakti Mills compound, near Mahalaxmi in South Mumbai, with a male colleague on an assignment. The accused had tied up the victim's colleague with belts and raped her. The accused took photos of the victim during the sexual assault, and threatened to release them to social networks if she reported the rape. Later, an eighteen-year-old call centre employee reported that she too had been gang-raped, on 31 July 2013 inside the mills complex.

The Banbury child sex abuse ring was a group of six men who committed serious sexual offences against under-aged girls in the English town of Banbury, Oxfordshire. In March 2015, they were found guilty of offences including rape and sexual activity with a child over a period extending from 2009 to 2014. Police in Banbury had drawn on the lessons of Operation Bullfinch, which targeted sexual abuse in nearby Oxford.

After a sexual assault or rape, victims are often subjected to scrutiny and, in some cases, mistreatment. Victims undergo medical examinations and are interviewed by police. If there is a criminal trial, victims suffer a loss of privacy, and their credibility may be challenged. Victims may also become the target of slut-shaming, abuse, social stigmatization, sexual slurs and cyberbullying. These factors, contributing to a rape culture, are among some of the reasons that may contribute up to 80% of all rapes going unreported in the U.S, according to a 2016 study done by the U.S. Department of Justice.

WOMAD is a radical feminist online community based in South Korea. It has been criticized for anti-male sentiment. It split from Megalia, another feminist online community based in South Korea.

The 2010 gang rapes in Cleveland, Texas were a series of acts of sexual violence committed by a group of adult men and teenage boys on an underage girl in the town of Cleveland, in Texas, USA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jung Joon-young KakaoTalk chatrooms</span> South Korean entertainment scandal

The Jung Joon-young KakaoTalk chatrooms was a South Korean entertainment and sex scandal publicized in 2019 as part of the Burning Sun scandal. The two scandals were tied together by the release of revealing KakaoTalk messages that exposed alleged crimes at the Burning Sun nightclub, and separately, by K-pop singer and entertainer Jung Joon-young and his friends and colleagues.

Cybersex trafficking, live streaming sexual abuse, webcam sex tourism/abuse or ICTs -facilitated sexual exploitation is a cybercrime involving sex trafficking and the live streaming of coerced sexual acts and/or rape on webcam.

In South Korea, candlelight rallies, also referred to as the Candlelight Struggle, Candlelight Revolution, or a candlelight cultural festival and is also attended with a humorous props and banner along with candles. Candlelight protests are symbolic collective gatherings of political dissent in South Korea to combat injustice peacefully. This method of protesting began in 1992 for opposing the charging of online service. After that in 2002, as a result of the Yangju highway incident, then utilized in the rallies against the impeachment of Roh Moo-hyun in 2004, re-used again in the 2008 U.S. beef protests, and emerged in the 2016-18 President Park Geun-hye protests.

The MeToo movement has been active in South Korea since the late 2010s.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Court orders state to pay for ID leak of rape victims". Korea JoongAng Daily . 17 July 2008.
  2. "집단성폭행 가해자 41명외 '70여명' 더 있다". The Hankyoreh (in Korean). 2004. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Outrage sparked by serial rape case". Korea JoongAng Daily . 12 December 2004. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 30 April 2012.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. 1 2 Jeong, Jae-Rak (12 December 2004). "Police Once Again Hurt Victimized Middle School Girls". The Dong-a Ilbo . Archived from the original on November 25, 2011.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Joo-Hyun, C. (2005). "Intersectionality revealed: Sexual politics in post-IMF Korea". Korea Journal. 45 (3): 107–110.
  6. Lee, Claire (5 March 2015). "Korea educates families of juvenile sex offenders". The Korea Herald .
  7. 1 2 Park Sung-woo JoongAng Ilbo (18 August 2007). "Damages ordered paid in Milyang assault case". Korea JoongAng Daily . Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  8. "Police Found Guilty of Insulting Rape Victims". The Korea Times . 17 August 2007. Archived from the original on October 5, 2011. Retrieved 30 April 2012.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  9. 밀양 성폭행 피해자 조롱한 여학생이 경찰이 됐다고? [The female student who derided the victims of the sexual assaults in Miryang became a police officer... ?] (in Korean). Nate. 9 April 2012. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  10. Alenka (15 April 2012). "Friend of Rapist Becomes Police Officer, Netizens Disgusted". KoreaBang.
  11. "2004 gang rape resurfaces in crusade to reveal alleged criminals' identities". The Korea Herald. 5 June 2024.