Prosecutors Arrest and Indict Police Officer Exposed for Sexual Assault 13 Years Ago

A current police officer who broke into a karaoke room in Seoul and was found to have committed a sexual assault 13 years ago has been indicted and is facing trial in custody.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 12th, the Women's and Children's Crime Investigation Division of the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Lee Jeong-min) announced that they have indicted police officer A (45) on charges of violating the Sexual Violence Punishment Act (breaking and entering with rape) and trespassing.

A is accused of following the victim into their home in Gangnam, Seoul, in July 2011 and sexually assaulting them, as well as unlawfully entering a karaoke room in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, after business hours on May 13 of this year.

At the time, the sexual assault case remained unsolved due to a lack of evidence to identify the perpetrator despite the victim's report. It was understood that after the crime, A made the victim clean their body, placed evidence items into a bag, and left the scene with the victim's mobile phone. The DNA information found on the victim's body was not found in the existing database, which registers samples collected from serious crime convicts, detained suspects, and crime scene investigations.

However, it was recently confirmed that the DNA left by A during the break-in at the karaoke room matched the DNA secured from the sexual assault case 13 years ago, and the police identified the suspect through additional investigations including reviewing closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage.

A, who was appointed to the police in 2006 and recently served as a sergeant in the Mobile Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, was suspended from duty last month after the crime was revealed. The prosecution investigated whether A committed additional crimes, but so far, none have been confirmed.

The prosecution stated, "We will do our best to ensure that the defendant, a current police officer who has forgotten their duty to protect the lives and bodies of the public and repeatedly committed serious violent crimes, receives a severe sentence commensurate with their crimes."