"He Was the King of the Detention Center" Beating and Molesting... 20s Inmate Sentenced to Additional Imprisonment

Cellmates involved in assault, threats, and molestation
Ringleader sentenced to 6 months, participants to 3 months additional imprisonment

Two criminals in their early 20s, who were incarcerated in a detention center as minors and committed acts of violence against other inmates, have been sentenced to additional prison terms.

Judge Lee Seung-ho of the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 12 sentenced inmate A (21) at Seoul Detention Center to six months in prison for assault and attempted extortion, and sentenced B (23), who participated in A’s assault and forcibly molested another inmate, to three months in prison.

Inmates at the detention center. [Photo by Yonhap News]

A was prosecuted while in prison after repeatedly assaulting fellow inmates and threatening them to send money from their prison accounts while serving time at Seoul Detention Center in 2022 for charges including special robbery as a minor.

In May of the same year, after a newly admitted inmate’s indictment was reviewed, A verbally abused the inmate multiple times, saying “You’re a sex offender, so you deserve to be bullied,” and repeatedly assaulted the inmate’s face, neck, and chest.

In July, when an inmate refused to drink tap water as a penalty during a word chain game, A kicked the inmate’s thigh and played a “fainting game,” hitting the inmate’s head 2 to 3 times with his fist because the inmate did not faint.

A also threatened another inmate C, demanding a transfer of 2.5 million won from C’s prison account for losing a traditional Korean board game called Yutnori, saying, “I want to kill you,” and “There is no one in the juvenile detention center beyond my influence.”

B assisted A in the bullying. He was investigated for slapping the face of an inmate assaulted by A, saying “Let’s do it properly,” and forcibly opening the victim’s mouth by inserting two fingers into the victim’s mouth for a verbal slip-up.

B, who was on trial for quasi-rape under the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles Against Sexual Abuse, also forcibly molested another inmate after putting schizophrenia medication pills into the milk the inmate was drinking, causing the inmate to lose consciousness.

The court stated, “The crimes are serious as they involved molesting and assaulting victims housed together in the detention center,” and added six months and three months of additional prison sentences for A and B, respectively.

A has already been sentenced to a confirmed prison term of six years and four years (long-term and short-term) for special robbery, and B has been sentenced to a confirmed prison term of four years and two years and six months (long-term and short-term) for quasi-rape.

Meanwhile, D, who was sentenced to two years and six months in prison with a three-year probation last September for violating the Special Act on Sexual Violence Punishment (forcible molestation by a relative), was additionally sentenced to one year in prison for assaulting a fellow inmate sharing the same cell and a correctional officer at Seoul Nambu Prison.