Korean Sexual Violence Relief Center Publishes Letter from Victimized Sisters
120 Million Won Raised in 16 Days of Fundraising
A letter of gratitude sent by the victim of the Miryang group sexual assault case that occurred 20 years ago in 2004 has been made public.
The Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center recently posted a letter from the victim sisters of the Miryang case on its website on the 1st under the title "To You Who Gave Us the Courage to Speak Out, a Letter from the Victims of the Miryang Sexual Violence Case." The center stated, "Thanks to the supporters who collectively offered their hearts to help the victims overcome the hardships they faced, the two victim sisters were able to breathe easier and sent handwritten letters expressing their gratitude to the supporters. We are sharing their heartfelt message with everyone."
Letter from the Milyang sexual assault victim sisters to their supporters [Image source=Screenshot from the Korea Sexual Violence Counseling Center website]
In the letter, the victim sisters began by saying, "Even though 20 years have passed, we want to express our immeasurable gratitude to the many people, friends, sisters, and neighbors who have not forgotten us and have comforted and encouraged us as if they were close by." They continued, "After the case was brought back into the spotlight, the two months that followed felt incredibly long. Thanks to the great support from everyone, we were able to finally speak our hearts openly." They also said, "Seeing the messages and names of the supporters made us feel overwhelmed with emotion, joy, and many other feelings," emphasizing, "We hope that no other innocent victims like us will ever suffer again." They concluded the letter with, "Thank you for giving us courage and hope. We are truly, truly grateful that you have not forgotten us even after such a long time."
The Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center conducted a fundraising campaign from June 13 to 28 for victims who have difficulty engaging in economic activities due to trauma from sexual assault. A total of 3,144 people participated, raising over 120 million won, which is more than four times the target amount. All the donations will be used for the victims' living expenses. The center also announced that the full text of the victim’s handwritten letter will be sent separately to the supporters via email.
The Miryang sexual assault case involved 44 high school boys in the Gyeongnam Miryang area sexually assaulting a middle school girl over the course of a year in 2004. All perpetrators were referred to the prosecution on charges of special rape, but the Ulsan District Prosecutors’ Office indicted only 10 of them, while the remaining 34 were not prosecuted. The victim had expected all perpetrators to be punished, but at the time, sexual crimes were considered crimes requiring a complaint by the victim (complainant-only crimes), and the police did not separately confirm the victim’s intention to file a complaint, resulting in this absurd outcome.
This case recently regained attention after several YouTubers competed to disclose the identities of the perpetrators. Subsequently, some perpetrators lost their jobs or issued public apologies, but the disclosure of the parties’ information without the victim’s consent caused the victim to suffer secondary harm.
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