'Okbajari Cafe' Sharing Information on Acceptance
Victims Face Secondary Harm and Police Mockery Appear
Recently, posts from so-called 'Okbaraji Cafes,' where families or partners of inmates are active, have been circulating on online communities, sparking controversy.
The controversial Okbaraji Cafe is introduced as a cafe that provides accurate information to families of inmates incarcerated in detention centers or prisons. In fact, users of the cafe have shared information such as prison meal plans and visitation reviews. However, it became problematic when some users were found to have made excessive remarks defending inmates.
One poster, whose younger sibling was incarcerated for a minor sex crime, wrote, "It's true my brother did something wrong, but isn't it crazy to enter a single man's house and lie down on the bed just because he told you to?" and added, "As someone raising a daughter, I think it's important to keep a close watch on her."
Regarding the disclosure of sex offenders' personal information, another poster expressed dissatisfaction with the system, saying, "I heard that if personal information is disclosed, the address and photo are also made public. Does that mean the child's neighborhood friends and their parents will also find out?" and "Even if the person committed a crime, isn't this too harsh on the child?"
Additionally, there were posts claiming that sex crime trials are too favorable to victims, making secondary victimization remarks, and mocking the police and prosecutors, which drew criticism from netizens.
One netizen commented, "I understand that it's hard to sever ties easily when a family member is in prison, so I get why they support them," but added, "Then why do they commit secondary victimization against the victims?" Another netizen said, "I get the purpose of the cafe, but shouldn't they defend only what deserves to be defended?"
As the posts on the cafe stirred controversy, the cafe manager issued a statement through a notice. He said, "Without fully understanding someone else's situation, speaking harshly to those who are suffering means that the speaker's heart is truly wounded and in pain," and added, "I hope our members are not hurt or discouraged by such posts."
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