Suspended Sentence for Imprisonment
"Severe Punishment Due to Serious Negative Impact on the Establishment of Sexual Culture"
A man who touched the body of a teenage youth and engaged in quasi-sexual acts in exchange for two packs of cigarettes and 50,000 won in cash was sentenced to a suspended prison term. The court emphasized strict punishment, stating that the youth's growth was hindered.
According to the legal community on the 13th, the 1st Criminal Division of the Cheonan Branch of the Daejeon District Court (Presiding Judge Jeon Gyeong-ho) sentenced Mr. A, who was tried on charges of purchasing sex under the Act on the Protection of Youth from Sexual Offenses, to 10 months in prison with a 2-year suspension.
He was also ordered to attend 40 hours of sexual violence treatment lectures and was banned from employment at institutions related to children, youth, and persons with disabilities for 3 years.
In April of last year, Mr. A gave teenage youth Ms. B two packs of cigarettes worth about 9,000 won and 50,000 won in cash in an underground parking lot in Siheung. Afterwards, he put his hand inside Ms. B’s clothes and touched her major body parts. He then forced Ms. B to perform quasi-sexual acts.
The court stated, "To satisfy sexual desire targeting youth, Mr. A paid compensation and purchased sex from a victim whose awareness of sex is not yet fully established and whose judgment ability is weak. This obstructs the sound growth of youth and has a serious adverse effect on the establishment of a healthy sexual culture in our society, making strict punishment necessary."
It also pointed out, "Mr. A showed an uncooperative attitude toward the investigation, such as refusing to comply with the investigative agency’s summons even after recognizing that an investigation had begun."
Regarding the sentencing reasons, the court explained, "The sentence is determined comprehensively considering that Mr. A admitted his wrongdoing and showed remorse, reached an amicable agreement with the victim during the investigation stage so that the victim and her parents do not want punishment, and that this is his first offense."
Previously, there have been several cases where sexual relations with youth were conducted under the pretext of buying cigarettes for them. In September last year in Ulsan, two men sent direct messages saying "I will buy cigarettes for you" in response to a 13-year-old youth’s post titled ‘Anyone to buy cigarettes on my behalf?’ and then engaged in prostitution. They were prosecuted on charges including statutory rape of a minor, purchasing sex under the Act on the Protection of Youth from Sexual Offenses, and violation of the Youth Protection Act. The court sentenced each of them to 1 year and 6 months in prison with a 2-year suspension and ordered them to attend 40 hours of sexual violence treatment lectures.
Meanwhile, Article 13 of the Act on the Protection of Children and Youth states that anyone who purchases sex from children or youth shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than 1 year and not more than 10 years or by a fine of not less than 20 million won and not more than 50 million won. Also, anyone who purchases and provides harmful substances such as alcohol or cigarettes to youth at their request shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than 2 years or by a fine of not more than 20 million won.
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