Man Who Claimed "Not the Perpetrator in Miryang" Reports "Additional Harm" Over Fake 'Judgment Document'

"Defamation Lawsuit... Donation of Excess Attorney Fees to Sexual Violence Counseling Center"
Non-Prosecution Notice Spread by a YouTuber as a Court Ruling Document

A man identified as the perpetrator in the Miryang sexual assault case has claimed his innocence by publicly sharing his criminal and investigation record report. As a document he claimed to be a judgment was revealed, additional victims have come forward.

"Tears Watching My Two Daughters" Mr. Im,
Appeals Innocence by Releasing Criminal and Investigation Record Report

A criminal and investigation record report disclosed by Im Mo, one of the perpetrators identified in the Miryang group sexual assault case. [Image source=Im Mo's blog]

On the 24th, Mr. Im, who works as an official dealer for a foreign car brand, posted on his blog, "I want to clarify my position as I am being misunderstood as involved in the unfortunate incident in Miryang," asserting his innocence. He stated, "To prove my innocence, I am attaching my criminal and investigation record report," and explained, "The criminal and investigation record report includes all expired sentences, and submitting or posting it can result in imprisonment of up to two years, a fine of up to 20 million won, or less." The report he disclosed contained his name, his resident registration number starting with 1986, and the information 'No relevant data found' as the inquiry result. The issuance date was the 24th. The criminal record report includes all prior convictions except summary judgments. This includes suspended prosecutions, suspended sentences, and dispositions under the Juvenile Act from types 1 to 4.

Mr. Im appealed, "I resented myself for causing great pain to my family because of this incident," and said, "I kept crying whenever my two daughters ran out calling 'Dad'." He added, "At those times, my family, friends, seniors, and juniors all gave me great strength," and "Even the police officer in charge who checked the report encouraged me by patting my back."

Furthermore, Mr. Im stated, "I have decided to take legal action against baseless rumors and malicious comments so that my family and I can return to our daily lives," and added, "I hope no other innocent victims like me will occur again, and I will donate any fines exceeding my lawyer's fees to the Korea Sexual Violence Counseling Center."

Non-Prosecution Notice Mistaken for Judgment Document

Judgment document from the Miryang group sexual assault case. The name Im Mo, who pleaded innocence, is listed in the suspect section with the same name. [Image source=Captured from online community]

However, a YouTuber posted a document claiming it was a judgment, but it was actually a non-prosecution notice. Regarding this, Mr. Im said in a statement to the media, "The definition of the word 'judgment document' is 'a document recording the facts, reasons, and orders of a court's judgment,'" and added, "I have never been tried nor received a judgment." He also refuted, "If it were a judgment document, I would not have been listed as a suspect but as a defendant." Moreover, he expressed his distress, saying, "Due to the manipulated content by the YouTuber, my family has been subjected to a witch hunt and still is."

Local Government Finally Bowing Its Head Regarding the Miryang Case
Court, Prosecution, Police, and Educational Institutions Did Not Participate in Public Apology

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]

The Miryang group 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. For the remaining perpetrators, a 'no prosecution' decision was made because they either reached a settlement with the victim or were not included in the complaint. The Miryang group sexual assault case has regained attention since the beginning of this month as the identities of the perpetrators were revealed online.

On the 25th, Miryang Mayor Ahn Byung-gu, the city council, and representatives from over 80 religious and civic organizations in Miryang bowed their heads to the victims and the public. Mayor Ahn apologized, saying, "Although we have the responsibility to create a better local community, we failed to properly apologize and reflect on this tragic incident, citing 'I and my family, my friends are not involved' as reasons," and added, "I apologize once again to the victims and their families, and I will do my best to create a safe and healthy city through the community's reflection." However, it was reported that the Miryang local court, prosecution, police, and educational institutions did not participate in the public apology press conference.