"My Flower-like Daughter, I Miss You So Much" Incheon Middle School Girl Sexual Assault Case, What Happened Next [Exclusive Interview]

July 2018 Incheon Middle School Girl's Sexual Assault and Extreme Choice
Teen Perpetrators Sentenced Up to 6 Years
Court: "Victim Lost Hope and Ultimately Gave Up on Life"
Family: "Miss Our Daughter So Much... We Long for Her"

The father of the victimized middle school girl has never once escaped from guilt since the incident. Photo by the bereaved family.

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] "You will think of yourself as a star that briefly visited this world to meet your father and mother, so goodbye until your father dies and becomes a star in the sky to meet you again..."

The perpetrators of the 'Incheon Middle School Girl Sexual Violence Case,' in which a middle school girl who was sexually assaulted by a male peer and suffered horrific mental anguish after the fact was revealed on Facebook and other SNS, and then took her own life by jumping from an apartment, have been sentenced to prison.

Until the judgment of the law was delivered, the victim's middle school girl's parents could not continue a normal life. In particular, the parents were so devastated by the injustice their daughter suffered that they even contemplated extreme measures.

After enduring hellish days with the guilt of not being able to protect their daughter, the bereaved family expressed to Asia Economy in an interview that they hope the legal judgment against the perpetrators will bring some comfort to their daughter's spirit. This case caused a stir when it was exclusively reported by this outlet in November 2018. It took four years from the initial incident (2016) until the strict judgment of the law was handed down.

◆ Sexual assault and spreading rumors... Perpetrators, teenagers, sentenced up to 6 years in prison

The 14th Criminal Division of the Incheon District Court (Presiding Judge Lim Jeong-taek) on the 14th sentenced A (17) to 6 years in prison as the long term and 4 years as the short term for violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles Against Sexual Abuse (sexual assault).

Also, B (19), who was indicted for violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Crimes, etc. (indecent act by deception against a minor under 13), was sentenced to 5 years in prison as the long term and 3 years and 6 months as the short term.

Additionally, A and B were ordered to complete 40 hours of sexual violence treatment programs and were banned from employment at child, youth, and disability welfare facilities for five years.

C (18), who was indicted for defamation, was sentenced to 4 months in prison with a 1-year probation.

The deceased female middle school student's funeral hall. Photo by family members

◆ "The image of my daughter laughing even at boring jokes will remain forever"

- How have you been doing all this time?

= My daughter, who lived with me for over ten years, suddenly disappeared. For several days, whenever I opened the door, I felt she would be on the bed or at the desk, but the moment I realized reality, I could not overcome the great loss and was very distressed and depressed, even once contemplating extreme thoughts... It was a very difficult time.

- How did you feel when you heard the first trial verdict?

= Listening to the first trial verdict, I felt the true faces of the defendants who had insulted my deceased daughter with consistent lies were revealed. I felt relieved that the truth was somewhat uncovered, but the loss of my daughter hit me even harder, and I sighed deeply.

- Do you have anything to say to the perpetrators?

= The perpetrators clearly could distinguish right from wrong but failed to restrain their momentary desires and dragged a person into ruin. I hope they pay the price for destroying a life.

I also want to speak to their parents. Please remember that children are mirrors of their parents. Even if your children have committed crimes, your children are alive, and my daughter is dead. Although it is unfair, I want to tell you to help your children reflect on and repent for their sins.

- What was the hardest part during the lawsuit process?

= First, as time passed, my daughter's friends who could testify or help gradually became exhausted due to threats of retaliation and stopped assisting, and I worried that the truth about my daughter might never be revealed and would be buried due to fatigue and delays.

Second, I was deeply disappointed by the selfish and uncooperative behavior of education officials who repeatedly refused to disclose information, fearing backlash or difficulties in managing students despite my daughter's death.

I was so devastated that I even considered giving up everything and going to my daughter.

= Do you have anything to say to the school?

I have a lot to say. Not only the school but also the duplicity of the local education office made me very angry. First, none of the three schools involved properly acknowledged their mistakes or apologized during the school violence handling process.

At the school, it seemed that the words 'acknowledgment' and 'apology' did not exist for the highest-ranking school violence officials. They only had lower-ranking or powerless teachers apologize on their behalf, and some schools did not even accept these apologies.

Under the pretext of protecting other children, homeroom teachers interrupted conversations and prevented further discussion via KakaoTalk, claiming this was not a cover-up. The victim's family was left to collect evidence or secure witnesses on their own and was not even allowed to hold a farewell gathering in the classroom where our beloved daughter spent her days and with her friends.

Moreover, statements that belittled the deceased and shamelessly defamed her pierced my heart as a victim's family member.

There are temperature differences among school staff. I earnestly request consistent handling of school violence cases. Another problem is the mistakes made by teachers or education officials who lack professional knowledge during the school violence handling process.

Whether intentional or not, mistakes result in breaking the trust of victims and their families. I hope education officials recognize this themselves.

- What are your plans moving forward?

= I will focus on the ongoing criminal lawsuit until it concludes. Afterward, I plan to explore various ways beyond the current method where school teachers lead the handling of school violence incidents to find more effective approaches. I will also devote all my efforts to restoring my daughter's honor from the school and some thoughtless teachers.

The doll my daughter loved the most while she was alive. She received the teddy bear doll as a gift when she was five years old. The family said she liked these two dolls the most among many. Photo by the family

- Lastly, do you have anything you want to say to your daughter OO?

= Daughter OO,

It rained winter rain two days before the sentencing trial. It rained like that from morning when you were born... Is the sky sending rain so that Dad won't cry?

You are still vivid in Dad's memory. When you were born, when you held up your head, when you toddled over to Dad, and even recently when you laughed at Dad's boring jokes, that image of you will remain forever.

Please, in heaven, always refuse things you dislike and only do what you love. Travel a lot. I'm sorry I couldn't be with you.

Victim middle school girl's room. The family stated that they will not be able to organize their daughter's room in the future. Photo by the family

◆ Court: "Victim was discouraged and ultimately gave up on life"

Except for C, A and B denied the charges throughout the trial. However, the court did not accept their claims based on △lack of credibility △text messages exchanged between them about the crime △witness testimonies.

The court explained the facts of the crime: "Witness testimonies were consistent and did not appear fabricated, and defendants A and B shared secrets about the crime via mobile phone."

It further stated, "Defendant A threatened the victim by using the fact that B had molested her, forced sexual intercourse while the victim was unable to resist, and even informed his boyfriend, defendant C, about this."

Regarding the victim's extreme choice, the court said, "Defendant C, after learning of the incident, broke up with the victim and spread humiliating posts about his ex-girlfriend, the victim, on SNS, which caused her to become discouraged and ultimately give up on life."

The court stated, "Defendant A sexually assaulted a younger victim by threatening her and exposed this to his boyfriend C; defendant B molested a younger victim; and defendant C spread rumors on SNS."

It added, "All of them committed serious crimes, and the victim likely suffered significant mental distress without recovery. However, considering that all are juveniles with immature judgment, this was taken into account in sentencing."

According to the police, A was investigated to have committed the crime by threatening to reveal that the victim middle school girl D, whom he had known since 2016, was molested by B.

B was indicted for forcibly molesting D in September 2016. C was prosecuted for defamation for posting sexually degrading content about his ex-girlfriend D on Facebook.

The bereaved family confirmed the victim's suffering through her mobile phone after she jumped from her room in an apartment in Incheon around 8 p.m. on July 19, 2018, and filed a complaint with the police.

Subsequently, the victim's father posted on the Blue House petition board on November 28, 2018, titled "Please resolve the grievance of my daughter who died from sexual assault and school violence," urging severe punishment for the perpetrators.

Meanwhile, A's side, sentenced to 6 years as the long term and 4 years as the short term, has expressed intention to appeal the verdict.