Four sentenced for gang rape, illegal filming of middle school student 7 years ago
Published: 23 Dec. 2025, 17:41
![An image of a statue of Justitia, the Roman goddess of justice [KOREA JOONGANG DAILY]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/12/23/c91c5921-5362-448c-aaf0-081c00081761.jpg)
An image of a statue of Justitia, the Roman goddess of justice [KOREA JOONGANG DAILY]
Three individuals were sentenced to prison time on Monday for the gang rape and illegal filming of a female middle school student seven years ago, while a fourth received a suspended sentence.
The Daejeon District Court sentenced the ringleader to eight years in prison on charges including violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse. Two accomplices who took part in the sexual assault received prison terms of four and five years, respectively. The court sentenced the remaining defendant to two years and six months in prison, suspended for four years.
The defendants committed the crime on Aug. 28, 2018, when they were middle school students. Prosecutors charged them with raping the victim, who was then in the first year of middle school, in a public restroom and the home of a younger schoolmate, while broadcasting her naked body live online.
Prosecutors also charged the ringleader with assaulting and abusing the victim using dangerous objects. The ringleader also filmed the rape and threatened the victim by telling her they would distribute the footage if she reported the crime.
Fearing retaliation, the victim waited nearly six years before filing a police complaint in February last year.
After a 10-month investigation, police said the time that had passed since the incident limited their ability to thoroughly investigate the case and did not forward the case with major charges, such as aggravated rape, to prosecutors.
Police later reopened the case at prosecutors' request and forwarded it with some charges recommended for indictment. Prosecutors then conducted additional investigations and indicted all four defendants seven years after the actual crime.
![A police logo [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/12/23/33a32b58-7c43-4748-a6d0-d03c7a860c16.jpg)
A police logo [YONHAP]
“The defendants committed extremely cruel and sadistic crimes that are hard to believe were carried out by 14-year-olds,” the court said. “We must send a clear warning that even sexual crimes committed long ago as minors do not exempt offenders from appropriate responsibility.
“The victim only found the courage to come forward after becoming an adult and enduring a long investigative process. The punishment must reflect the severity of the crime so that her courage is not in vain and so that others who struggle to speak out about sexual violence can also find the strength to do so. Although the ringleader reached a settlement with the victim and eventually confessed, those actions alone are not enough to justify a lighter sentence.”
During the sentencing hearing on Dec. 5, the victim urged the court to reflect her long struggle in its decision.
“I’ve overcome many hurdles to get here,” she said. “There were times I wanted to give up, but I want to move forward now based on the outcome of this trial. Please keep that in mind when determining the sentence.”
In their final statement, the ringleader said they had failed to understand the full impact of their actions.
“I didn’t fully understand how deeply I had hurt the victim over the years,” they said. “I will do everything I can to help her heal.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JANG GU-SEUL [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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