A YouTuber and the wife of a public official have been brought to trial for illegally disclosing personal information without consent in connection with the "Gyeongnam Miryang Middle School Girl Group Sexual Assault Case" that occurred 20 years ago.
The Criminal Division 1 of the Changwon District Court in Gyeongnam indicted YouTuber A, who is in his 30s and operates under the name "Jeontu Tokki," and his wife B, a public official also in her 30s, on June 30.
According to the prosecution, A is accused of identifying multiple individuals as perpetrators of the Miryang sexual assault case and disclosing their personal information through his YouTube channel between June and July.
He is also accused of threatening some of those whose information he disclosed, saying he would reveal their family members' personal information unless they sent him an apology video.
B, who worked as a public official at a local government office in Chungbuk during the same period, was indicted for illegally accessing and providing her husband A with the resident registration numbers, addresses, and other personal information of dozens of people, including perpetrators of the sexual assault case.
The Miryang sexual assault case refers to an incident in 2004 in which 44 high school students in the Miryang area sexually assaulted one middle school girl over the course of a year. Only 10 perpetrators were brought to trial, 20 were sent to juvenile detention centers, and the remainder either reached a settlement with the victim or were not included in the complaint and thus were not prosecuted due to loss of indictment rights.
The case drew renewed attention earlier last month when a YouTube channel disclosed the personal information of those identified as perpetrators, and other YouTubers and bloggers joined in revealing the alleged perpetrators' information, sparking controversy over "private sanctions."
In response, those involved in the videos filed complaints against the YouTubers and bloggers, prompting a police investigation.
A prosecution official stated, "We will do our best to maintain the indictment so that the defendants receive punishment commensurate with their crimes."
The official added, "Going forward, we will respond strictly to those who spread malicious content under the pretext of private sanctions for personal profit, infringing on the right of crime victims to be forgotten and causing suffering not only to victims and their families but also to innocent citizens."
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