[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] A man in his 20s was sentenced to prison for threatening three elementary school students and forcing them to produce sexually exploitative materials.
The Daejeon District Court Criminal Division 11 (Presiding Judge Kim Yong-chan) announced on the 27th that A (22), who was tried on charges of threatening three children to produce exploitative materials (violation of the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Crimes, etc.), was sentenced to five years in prison.
The court stated, "The crime was committed against an unspecified number of victims by deliberately uploading videos on the internet and posting comments," and added, "The crime is particularly heinous as it targeted young children with limited judgment and decision-making abilities."
It further explained the sentencing rationale, saying, "Considerations were given to the fact that the defendant did not commit the crime with the intent to distribute videos or photos, showed remorse, and that some victims and their legal representatives did not wish for punishment."
However, the court dismissed the prosecution's request for an electronic monitoring device (electronic anklet) order, judging that there is little likelihood of the defendant committing another sexual offense.
A was previously indicted on charges of forcing three children, including 9- and 10-year-olds who left their SNS IDs in comments after A posted a video titled 'Looking for a girlfriend' on an internet site on April 28 last year, to produce exploitative materials.
Investigations revealed that A threatened the child victims by saying, "Your comment is bad, so I will report it."
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