"Deep Wounds, Sincere Apologies for the Disappointment"
A woman in her 50s who reported the so-called 'Dongtan Gym Sexual Crime Incident,' which sparked controversy after a man in his 20s was falsely accused of a sex crime, has been formally booked by the police. Meanwhile, the male victim in his 20s, Mr. A, who was nearly falsely accused, was cleared of all charges.
On the 1st, 'Yonhap News' reported that the Hwaseong Dongtan Police Station in Gyeonggi Province formally booked the woman in her 50s, Ms. B, on charges of false accusation. Mr. A is accused of making a false report on the 23rd of last month at around 5:10 p.m., claiming he was sexually assaulted in the women's restroom inside the management office building next to a gym in an apartment complex in Hwaseong City.
During the police investigation, Mr. A reportedly watched closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage and identified Ms. B as the perpetrator, stating, "This is the person," and "I often see this person." Considering that Mr. A clearly pointed to Ms. B as the suspect, the police judged that there was intent and upgraded the preliminary investigation to a formal one.
Mr. A's attorney, Lawyer Nam Eon-ho, also released a police notification stating that Mr. A was not charged. According to the notification, the police confirmed "the falsehood of the complainant's statement during the investigation of the credibility of the report," and stated, "The complainant is recognized to have made a 112 emergency call and victim statement as if she had actually been a victim of a sex crime, which was a fabricated fact that never occurred."
Furthermore, the police bowed their heads and said, "We have initiated an investigation against the female complainant under Article 156 of the Criminal Act for false accusation, and we sincerely apologize for the great hurt and disappointment caused to you due to the inappropriate attitude shown by the investigators during the investigation process." Yonhap News also reported that the police planned to meet Mr. A in person to convey their apology.
The case became public through a story posted on the YouTube channel 'Eokulhan Namja' (Innocent Man) on the 25th of last month. Mr. A appeared on the channel and released an audio file recording the entire investigation process.
After being accused of a sex crime due to Ms. B's report, Mr. A told the police, "I never entered the women's restroom," but the police said, "There is CCTV footage," and informed him that he would need to appear at the police station later. During this process, the police reportedly used informal language such as "Are you a student or a soldier?" and "How old are you now?" When Mr. A visited the police station to check the case number, he was also reportedly told, "If you have nothing to hide, just stay still."
Some netizens are conducting a petition demanding the dismissal of the police chief and other officials. [Image source=Online community capture]
Meanwhile, on the 27th of last month, Ms. B suddenly visited the Dongtan Police Station and confessed, "I made a false report." She revealed, "I am taking medication prescribed by a hospital, and when I take a large amount, I sometimes say things that are not true."
The police deployed three profilers to verify the credibility of this statement. The profilers concluded that it was reasonable to view Ms. B as fabricating an event that never happened. However, they judged that "the report was unrelated to symptoms such as those from psychiatric conditions."
After the case became known, citizens have criticized the police officers who conducted the investigation into Mr. A. The police station's website bulletin board has been flooded with protest messages, and a petition demanding the dismissal of the police chief is also underway.
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