[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] A man in his 20s who engaged in prostitution with teenagers by promising "high-paying part-time jobs," and who filmed and kept videos without paying money, was sentenced to prison and detained in court in the first trial.
According to the legal community on the 28th, the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 26 (Chief Judge Kim Raeni) recently sentenced Park Mo (26), who was indicted for violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse (Youth Sexual Protection Act), to four years in prison. He was also ordered to complete 40 hours of sexual violence treatment programs and was banned from employment at child and youth institutions for five years.
In April of last year, Park was prosecuted for having sexual relations with B (16, female), a minor, after promising to pay about 500,000 won, but not only failed to pay the money but also filmed and kept the scene on video. According to the prosecution, Park approached the victims by acting as if he were a broker for prostitution, saying "I will give you a high-paying part-time job" and playing multiple roles. In addition, he is also accused of having sexual relations with adult women and failing to pay the promised fees.
The court found all of Park's charges guilty. In particular, it pointed out, "The defendant planned from the beginning to deceive teenagers and have sexual relations without paying the prostitution fees," and "He had sexual relations with victims by playing multiple roles online and did not pay the promised fees, deceiving victims who were economically struggling and even making them bear motel costs." It added, "He committed crimes against young teenagers who are vulnerable to crime and find it difficult to report, including filming videos, so a heavy sentence must be imposed."
It also stated, "The defendant has no prior criminal record and is reflecting on this incident, and his parents are earnestly pleading for leniency," but added, "However, the crime of producing child and youth sexual exploitation materials, which carries the heaviest sentence among the charges in this case, is punishable by imprisonment of five years or more, so the punishment is severe." Park is known to have attempted to reach a settlement with the victims but failed.
Article 11, Paragraph 1 of the current Youth Sexual Protection Act stipulates that anyone who produces, imports, or exports child and youth sexual exploitation materials shall be punished by life imprisonment or imprisonment for five years or more.
However, through a sentencing investigation, the court sentenced Park to four years in prison, which is lower than the statutory sentence. A sentencing investigation is a procedure that investigates factors to consider when determining the sentence, such as the defendant's family environment, criminal record, circumstances of the crime, and whether a settlement was reached.
Earlier, the prosecution requested the court to sentence Park to 10 years in prison, stating in court, "There are multiple offenses, and the nature of the crime is bad, so a heavy sentence is inevitable." At that time, Park's lawyer said, "He deserves criticism without excuse," but appealed for leniency, saying, "The defendant voluntarily came to the investigation agency with his parents, submitted the phone containing the video, and confessed to all the crimes."
Park lowered his head, saying, "I have nothing to say but sorry," after being sentenced to imprisonment. Meanwhile, both the prosecution and the defendant have filed appeals against this ruling.
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