[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] The court has sentenced a former university professor who was prosecuted for false accusation after suing his former students for defamation over their revelations of his past sexual assault.
On the 19th, Judge Park Yong-geun of the Seoul Western District Court Criminal Division 4 sentenced former Dongguk University professor Kim (59), who was charged with false accusation, to six months in prison with a two-year probation and ordered 120 hours of community service.
Kim’s student A and others revealed through media outlets in 2016 that they had been sexually harassed and assaulted by Professor Kim during a book club. Kim filed a defamation lawsuit against them, claiming their allegations were false, and was subsequently charged with false accusation. The prosecution found that Kim’s sexual harassment and assault of A and others were factual and brought Kim to trial in 2017. However, the prosecution decided not to indict Kim for the defamation case, citing insufficient evidence.
In the sentencing hearing held last December, the prosecution demanded a two-year prison sentence for Professor Kim.
The court ruled Kim guilty, stating, "The complainants have provided specific and consistent testimonies regarding their experiences and media reports. It is difficult to consider that they are testifying about events they did not experience."
The court added, "False accusation infringes on the state's criminal justice function and puts victims at risk of unjust criminal punishment, thus requiring strict punishment. The victims suffered significant mental distress during investigations due to the defendant’s false accusations. The defendant denies the crimes and shows no remorse."
Furthermore, the court explained the sentencing by saying, "However, considering that the falsely accused were not actually criminally punished and that Kim has no prior criminal record."
Kim was also prosecuted in the past for forcibly kissing a student at a bar and was sentenced in July 2017 by the Seoul Western District Court to six months in prison with a one-year probation for sexual assault.
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