Prosecution Seeks 20-Year Prison Sentence in Appeal Trial for Former Coach Jo Jae-beom on Sexual Assault Charges

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] The prosecution has requested a 20-year prison sentence in the second trial for former national team coach Jo Jaebeom, who was sentenced to 10 years and 6 months in prison in the first trial for sexually assaulting a short track speed skating athlete.

On the 19th, the prosecution asked the court to sentence Jo to 20 years in prison during the appeal trial held at the Suwon High Court Criminal Division 1 (Presiding Judge Yoon Seongsik). They also requested a 10-year employment ban, 5 years of probation, and an order to attend 120 hours of sexual violence treatment programs.

Previously, Jo was indicted on charges of sexually assaulting or forcibly molesting the victim 30 times at seven locations, including the Taereung and Jincheon athlete villages and the Korea National Sport University ice rink, from August 2014, when the victim was a second-year high school student, until December 2017, just before the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. The prosecution charged Jo with violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse for offenses committed before 2016, when the victim was still a high school student.

On this day, the prosecution emphasized, "The defendant exercised various forms of violence while coaching the victim since she was in elementary school and committed the crimes while she was in a helpless state," adding, "He exploited the victim’s mindset, who was solely focused on the Olympics, to commit sexual crimes over a long period." They further stated, "In the first trial, he denied all charges, but in the appeal trial, he caused secondary harm by claiming that the sexual relations were consensual."

On the other hand, Jo claimed in his final statement, "The investigation was conducted based on fabricated content from the investigation stage," and "I was accused of being a rapist simply because I did not please the victim."

The first trial sentenced Jo to 10 years and 6 months in prison, stating that "the victim’s testimony was detailed and natural, making it difficult to consider it fabricated."