Notice at Seoul Guro Apartment... Police Investigation
Older Male Student Pulls Down Underwear, Sexually Harasses Female Student
Seems to Target Female Students Without Guardians
In an apartment complex in Seoul, an incident occurred where an upper-grade elementary school boy sexually harassed female students who were walking without guardians.
Recently, an announcement from the residents' representative meeting posted in an apartment in Guro-gu on the 20th of last month has been spreading on online communities. The notice stated that on the 15th of last month, a report was received that a boy, presumed to be in the 5th or 6th grade of elementary school, named A, forcibly sexually harassed three lower-grade female students within the apartment complex.
The residents' representative meeting stated, “On the afternoon of March 15, boys believed to be in the 5th or 6th grade followed female students around the complex, coaxing them with phrases like ‘Let's play sex games,’ ‘I'll give you money,’ and ‘How much do you want?’ When the girls asked, ‘Why are you doing this to us?’ the boys replied, ‘Other kids walk with their moms, so it’s not possible. You girls are perfect targets.’”
They continued, “When their attempts failed, they followed an 8-year-old child who got off a private academy bus and lured them to a playground, exposing their genitals and saying, ‘Let me see yours too.’ The frightened child ran away and entered their apartment building’s main entrance. The boy followed, begged on his knees saying, ‘Let’s go to the stairwell,’ and exposed his genitals again.” It was reported that the victim’s parents reported the incident to the police and the management office notified residents through a broadcast within the complex.
They also said, “This is being shared to prevent further incidents and request joint responses,” but added that they have not been able to identify the residences or schools of the offending boys due to ‘personal information protection issues.’ They further stated, “What our residents can do is file complaints with the education office, expressing concerns such as ‘As parents of daughters, we are too scared to live like this,’ ‘Please inform us how you are handling this incident and take the strongest possible measures,’ and ‘Preventing these boys from entering nearby middle schools is necessary to protect victims and prevent further harm.’”
Following the news, reactions included, “How can we raise children when it’s so scary?” “Both parents work, so they can’t be with their kids 24/7, what can we do?” “The juvenile offender system should be abolished,” and “Sex education must be properly implemented in public education.”
It is currently known that the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Women’s Safety Division is investigating the case. Under current law, criminal minors aged 10 to under 14 (called chokbeopsonyeon) are not subject to criminal punishment even if they commit offenses, but only receive protective measures such as probation or community service orders.
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