Another Middle School Student Suspected of Assisting Extreme Choice
The prosecution has sought a prison sentence for a man in his 20s accused of having sexual relations with a middle school student he met on the online community 'Depression Gallery' and of aiding and abetting the extreme suicide attempt of another teenage female middle school student.
On the 11th, at the Bucheon Branch of the Incheon District Court, Criminal Division 1 (Presiding Judge Kim Jeong-ah), during the sentencing hearing, the prosecution requested a six-year prison term for Mr. A (27), who was indicted on charges including statutory rape of a minor and aiding suicide.
Mr. A was initially on trial for sexual assault charges but was subsequently re-indicted on charges of aiding suicide. Accordingly, the court is conducting a combined trial for both cases.
Mr. A is accused of having sexual relations twice with middle school student Ms. B (14) at a motel and a comic cafe in Bucheon City on June 20 and 21. Investigations revealed that he was aware that Ms. B was under 16 years old at the time of the sexual acts.
According to the Criminal Act, engaging in sexual activity with a minor under 16 years old is punishable regardless of the minor's consent.
Mr. A wrote about his experiences of having sexual relations with Ms. B and posted these writings nine times on an online community. It was also revealed that he continuously sent sexually humiliating text messages to Ms. B.
Furthermore, Mr. A is also charged with aiding and abetting the extreme suicide attempt of another teenage female student, Ms. C, whom he met through the Depression Gallery in April. Ms. C committed suicide live-streamed from a building in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.
This incident brought attention to various controversies surrounding the Depression Gallery, and subsequently, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency formed a task force (TF) to investigate allegations of sexual exploitation related to the Depression Gallery.
Meanwhile, after being indicted and detained, Mr. A was found to have violated prison regulations by assaulting a fellow inmate while serving his sentence in the detention center.
※ If you or someone around you is experiencing difficult feelings such as depression or other hard-to-talk-about concerns, professional counseling is available 24/7 through suicide prevention hotlines ☎1577-0199, Hope Phone ☎129, Lifeline ☎1588-9191, and Youth Phone ☎1388.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
