40s Man Hiding AIDS Engages in Sex Trade with Middle School Student... "Concerns Over Additional Victims"

"Previous Record of Punishment for Child and Adolescent Sexual Crimes"

A man in his 40s diagnosed with AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) was found to have engaged in prostitution with teenage adolescents, prompting women's organizations to call for countermeasures.

The Gwangju Women's Human Rights Support Center issued a press release on the 15th, stating, "Mr. A has a prior record of being punished for child and adolescent sex crimes but continues to commit the same offenses," expressing concern that "there is a risk of additional victims." They further emphasized, "If the sex crimes were committed through chat apps, a thorough investigation of all online platforms used by Mr. A must be conducted to uncover any further offenses and protective measures should be taken for the children and adolescents involved."

The Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office recently arrested and indicted Mr. A, a man in his 40s, on charges of violating the Child and Adolescent Sexual Protection Act. Mr. A is accused of repeatedly engaging in prostitution with middle school student Ms. B, whom he met through a chat app, by giving her rides in his vehicle since early this year. During the investigation, Mr. A was found to be HIV positive, but Ms. B was confirmed not to have been infected.

The police investigated the possibility that Mr. A had engaged in prostitution with other women as well, but were unable to confirm additional offenses as they could not contact the women or the women refused to cooperate with the investigation.

Meanwhile, AIDS is a disease caused by infection with the HIV virus, which disables the immune cells in the human body. Patients with a compromised immune system suffer from various infections and malignant tumors such as skin cancer, which can lead to death. There are approximately 40 million AIDS patients worldwide, with about 15,000 in South Korea. Recently, drugs that suppress AIDS symptoms have been developed, significantly reducing the mortality rate, but a complete cure is still considered impossible.