"Teen Boys Who Played 'Namsaeng-kiri Haneun Nori' Drive Classmate to Suicide Sentenced to Prison... Court: 'Victim Faced a Difficult Life'"

On the 24th, the 11th Criminal Division of the Gwangju District Court (Judge Park Hyun-su) announced that five out of ten high school students indicted on charges including violation of the Act on the Punishment of Violent Acts (joint assault) were sentenced to imprisonment under the Juvenile Act and were taken into custody in court.

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] Ten high school students who assaulted a classmate, leading to the victim's extreme choice due to reasons such as being physically tough, were sentenced to prison.

According to the legal community on the 25th, a sentencing trial was held the day before for the ten high school students who were prosecuted on charges including violation of the Act on the Punishment of Violent Acts (joint assault).

On this day, the 11th Criminal Division of Gwangju District Court (Judge Park Hyunsoo) sentenced five of the ten to prison terms as stipulated by the Juvenile Act and ordered their immediate detention. Among them, Student A (18) was sentenced to 3 years in long-term imprisonment and 2 years in short-term imprisonment. He was also ordered to attend 40 hours of sexual violence treatment lectures.

Students B and C were sentenced to 2 years long-term and 1 year short-term imprisonment, while Students D and E received 1 year long-term and 6 months short-term imprisonment. Among the remaining five, one was sentenced to 6 months imprisonment with a 2-year probation and 80 hours of community service, two were fined 3 million won each, and the other two were transferred to the family court juvenile division for measures such as home and school entrusted education.

The perpetrators are known to be students enrolled at a high school in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju. They are accused of assaulting and bullying a fellow student at the same school from May 2020 until June of last year.

At that time, they repeatedly assaulted the victim, citing reasons such as the victim being physically tough. The abuse started with punching the victim’s shoulder, kicking the victim’s thigh, and forcing the victim to dance. Some of the perpetrators strangled the victim until he fainted or demanded he carry them piggyback from the 4th floor to the 1st floor. In particular, Student A choked the victim’s neck using a jiu-jitsu technique called the 'triangle choke.' This scene was captured on video by another student’s mobile phone.

There were also sexual assaults. The perpetrators pulled down the victim’s pants inside the classroom and recorded the scene on a mobile phone, distributing it on social networking services (SNS). Sexual harassment was also reportedly committed against the victim’s younger sister and girlfriend.

This case came to light after the victim was found dead in a mountain in Gwangju at the end of June last year, and the bereaved family raised suspicions of school violence. At the time, the victim left a suicide note saying, "It was too painful to be beaten at school," and took his own life. Based on the contents of the note, the family reported the case to the police. They also filed a petition on the Blue House website demanding severe punishment for the perpetrators, which received over 200,000 signatures.

On this day, the court stated the sentencing reasons, saying, "Some of the defendants repeatedly inflicted violence on the victim student." It was explained that the defendants showed no remorse and that the nature of the crime was serious. The court criticized, "The defendants still try to reduce their responsibility in court by saying it was 'just a game' or 'boys can do that among themselves,' as if they do not realize how much they tormented and broke the victim."

Furthermore, the court said, "The victim was kind and gentle, enduring the pranks of smaller friends, and no one knew what kind of suffering he was going through at school." It added, "Ultimately, he suffered from repeated violence and left a difficult life." Mentioning that next week marks the first anniversary of the victim’s death, the court added, "The bereaved family said, 'We would rather have our son be the perpetrator standing trial there,' and they have not been able to escape their pain."

※ If you are struggling with difficult feelings such as depression and need professional help, you can receive 24-hour counseling through the Suicide Prevention Hotline ☎1577-0199, Suicide Prevention Counseling ☎1393, Mental Health Counseling ☎1577-0199, Hope Call ☎129, Life Line ☎1588-9191, Youth Hotline ☎1388, Youth Mobile Counseling app 'Da Deureojul Gae,' KakaoTalk, and other services.