Pretending to Be a High School Freshman to Sexually Assault an Elementary Student, Actually in Their 20s

Sentenced to 18 Months Imprisonment
Court: "Victim Was 12 Years Old at the Time, Crime Is Serious"

A man in his 20s who deceived a girl elementary school student by pretending to be a high school student and approached her through messenger open chatrooms, committing a sexual crime, was sentenced to prison by the court.

Maeil Business Newspaper reported on the 8th, citing the legal community, that recently the Suwon District Court Pyeongtaek Branch sentenced Mr. A (25), who was tried on charges of statutory rape of a minor, to 1 year and 6 months in prison.

A man in his 20s, pretending to be a high school student, approached an elementary school student and committed a sexual crime.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Earlier, Mr. A was accused of having sexual intercourse with Ms. B at around 1:30 p.m. on January 21 at a room cafe in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. It is known that Mr. A first contacted Ms. B through messenger open chat and committed the crime on the day they first met.

According to reports from MBC and others, at that time Ms. B told her mother, "I am going to meet my boyfriend, please allow me," and her mother said, "Invite him to the house." Later, Mr. A, who came to the house, introduced himself as a "prospective high school freshman."

Ms. B's parents believed his words due to Mr. A's small and youthful appearance. Also, feeling sorry for their daughter who usually stayed at home due to poor health, they allowed her to go out, believing she would just have lunch together and then part ways.

However, contact with Ms. B was lost after she left the house. Ms. B's father, who went to find his daughter himself, discovered Ms. B with Mr. A at a nearby room cafe through a family location-sharing app. Ms. B's father reported to 112 at the scene, and Mr. A's resident registration card stating he was born in 1998 was found in his wallet as he tried to flee, revealing his true age.

Ms. B's parents urged for Mr. A's detention and investigation, fearing retaliation, citing the fact that he had visited their home. They also claimed that when Ms. B tried to run away after learning Mr. A's real age, he threatened her by saying, "I know your house, so I will harm your parents."

The police applied the charge of statutory rape of a minor to Mr. A, which allows punishment regardless of the victim's consent if the victim is under 13 years old. The court explained the sentencing reason, stating, "The victim was only 12 years old at the time, making the crime very serious, and there was no forgiveness or settlement."

Currently, Ms. B has contracted various sexually transmitted infections and has had to receive treatment. She is also experiencing difficulties adapting to school and is undergoing psychological counseling, suffering from aftereffects.