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Man gets seven years for statutory rape, concealing HIV status from victims

Published: 22 Aug. 2025, 15:10

[JOONGANG ILBO]

A man in his 50s has been sentenced to a heavy prison term for repeatedly committing sex crimes against minors aged 14 to 16 while concealing his HIV-positive status.

The Gwangju District Court on Friday sentenced the 50-year-old man to seven years in prison on charges including statutory rape.

The court also ordered a 10-year disclosure of the perpetrator’s personal information, a six-year electronic ankle monitor and a 10-year ban on employment at institutions involving children or people with disabilities.

The man was found guilty of paying for sex with female minors on eight occasions between March 2023 and August last year.

He committed the offenses while concealing the fact that he was undergoing treatment for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). During the offenses, he offered cash payments of 50,000 won ($35) or two packs of cigarettes as compensation.

“The nature of the crime is extremely egregious,” the court said in its ruling, noting the man’s prior record of at least four convictions for sex crimes involving children and adolescents.

The victims were not found to have contracted HIV from the perpetrator.

BY HAN YOUNG-HYE [[email protected]]