"Failed to Offer a Proper Apology and Reflection"…Miryang City’s Public Apology

Miryang Mayor Apologizes to 80 Local Religious and Civic Groups
Plans to Promote Ethical Awareness through School Visits and Education

Miryang City in Gyeongnam Province apologized for a mass sexual assault incident that occurred in the region 20 years ago.

Ahn Byung-gu, Mayor of Miryang, along with religious and civic groups and other local stakeholders, is offering a public apology on the afternoon of the 25th at the main auditorium of Miryang City Hall, Gyeongnam, regarding the 'Miryang Middle School Girl Sexual Assault Case' that occurred in 2004.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 25th, Yonhap News reported that Miryang Mayor Ahn Byung-gu, the city council, and representatives from about 80 religious and civic organizations in Miryang bowed their heads to the victims and the public at the large auditorium on the second floor of Miryang City Hall that afternoon. The Miryang mass sexual assault case from 20 years ago was recently reexamined online, prompting an apology at the community level. It is unusual for a local government head to apologize for an incident that occurred decades before their term.

Mayor Ahn read a joint apology statement as a representative. He said, "Although we have the responsibility to create a better community, we failed to offer a proper apology and reflection on this tragic incident, citing reasons such as 'I and my family, my friends are not involved.'" He bowed his head again, saying, "I apologize once more to the victims and their families, and I will do my best to create a safe and healthy city through the community’s reflection."

He continued, "We did not fully understand the pain experienced by the victimized students and their families, nor did we listen to their voices. This is entirely our fault." He promised, "Going forward, Miryang City will join hands with the community to create safe living spaces, reexamine urban systems, prevent crime, and make every effort to build a healthy city." Various institutions, organizations, and religious groups are planning voluntary support activities to heal the pain caused by this incident, and local religious groups are preparing joint memorial services and prayer meetings for the victims’ healing. There was no separate Q&A session.

The Miryang mass sexual assault case involved 44 high school students from the Miryang area luring a middle school student from Ulsan to Miryang in December 2004 and sexually assaulting him collectively over the course of a year. The Ulsan District Prosecutors’ Office, which investigated the case at the time, indicted 10 perpetrators (7 detained, 3 not detained). Twenty were sent to juvenile detention centers. The remaining perpetrators were not prosecuted due to settlements with the victim or because they were not included in the complaint. At that time, the police reportedly told the victim, "You have muddied the water of Miryang," and a male officer conducted the face-to-face investigation, asking secondary victimizing questions such as, "Didn’t you make the first move?" Videos of Miryang residents blaming the victim in interviews were also reexamined. One resident said in the 2007 MBC program "Miryang Sexual Assault Case, After That," about three years after the incident, "Because there is a problem with the girl, the boys acted that way," adding, "She’s like a gold digger. She just took the money and settled." Another resident said, "(The victim’s behavior) was bad, so they followed her," and "If she were a well-mannered girl from a respectable family, would anyone come out at night and do that?"

The Miryang mass sexual assault case gained renewed attention from early this month as the identities of the perpetrators were revealed online. As some perpetrators were fired from their workplaces after their identities were disclosed, controversy arose over 'private sanctions.'