Prosecution Indicts Man in His 20s for Water Torture and Extorting Tens of Millions of Won from Person with Intellectual Disability

Lured Through an Online Game, Forced to Take Out Loans and Lost 70 Million Won
Police Referred Victim as "Aider and Abettor of Extortion"...
Prosecutors Decide Not to Indict After Psychological Analysis

A man in his 20s has been brought to trial after torturing a person with an intellectual disability, whom he met through an online game, with water torture, forcing the victim to take out various loans, and then stealing tens of millions of won.

On July 24, the Criminal Division 2 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Jo Ara) indicted the main perpetrator, identified as Kim, on charges including aggravated extortion and fraud, and indicted another accomplice, also surnamed Kim, without detention.

According to the prosecution, Kim and his accomplice met the victim, identified as A, who has an intellectual disability, through an online game. After noticing that A's conversation level and content were awkward, they decided to commit a crime against A and traveled to Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, where A lived.

After meeting A in person, Kim and his accomplice lured A to Seoul three times between November 2022 and March of the following year, using pretexts such as "I will help you sell your computer" and "I will take you to an amusement park."

However, when A arrived at the place where Kim and his accomplice lived, their attitude changed abruptly. Kim and his accomplice assaulted A by covering A's face with a towel and pouring water over it, and by melting a straw with a lighter and dripping it onto the back of A's hand. They then forced A to take out online loans, such as the Sunshine Loan, and extorted a total of 70 million won. In addition, they deceived A's mother by pretending to be A's creditor and stole 3.5 million won from her. They also lured A's junior through A, threatened the junior, and took 2.95 million won.

Initially, the police also referred A to the prosecution as an "aider and abettor of extortion," on the grounds that A brought his junior, who then became a victim of extortion by the main perpetrator Kim. However, during the investigation, the prosecution noticed that A's speech was awkward and his behavior was different from his peers. They conducted a clinical psychological analysis with the Forensic Science Division of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, confirming that A's capacity to understand (IQ 43, social age 7 years and 3 months) made it realistically impossible for him to participate in the crime. As a result, A was not indicted.

Furthermore, the prosecution found that the main perpetrator Kim also committed an act close to hostage-taking against A's mother, telling her, "You must pay off the victim's debt in order for the victim to be allowed to return home." Therefore, the prosecution added a charge of fraud and brought Kim to trial. The police had initially charged Kim and his accomplice only with "simple extortion," but the prosecution changed the charges to aggravated extortion and joint extortion to better reflect the actual criminal acts.

In addition, the prosecution held a case management meeting with relevant institutions, including the Developmental Disabilities Support Center, the National Pension Service, and the police, to prepare comprehensive victim support measures. These included personal protection for A, support for psychological treatment costs, and the accompaniment of a trusted person in court. At the same time, they are working to register A, who was not previously registered as a person with disabilities, so that A can receive various forms of support and assistance.