A public official who molested several women he did not know while intoxicated has admitted to the charges in court.
At the first trial for Mr. A (32), charged with indecent assault and violating the Minor Offenses Act, held on September 24 at the Jeonju District Court Criminal Division 4 (presided over by Chief Judge Kim Mikyung), his attorney stated, "We admit all the charges." In response to the defense's intention not to contest guilt, the court decided to proceed with evidence examination, including playing the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from the time of the incident, and to consider concluding the arguments at the next hearing.
Mr. A was indicted on charges of hugging or kissing four women he encountered in a busy street in Hyoja-dong, Wansan-gu, Jeonju, in the early morning hours of March 8. All of the victims were strangers to Mr. A. After being arrested by police following the victims' reports, he testified, "I do not remember because I was drunk."
It was also revealed that in 2016, he had molested a woman in her twenties by hugging and knocking her down on a street in Deokjin-gu. At the time, the perpetrator was not apprehended, but as prosecutors secured Mr. A's DNA in connection with the recent incident, a breakthrough was made in the unsolved case from nine years ago.
The Jeonju city government suspended Mr. A from his position after the incident came to light. The next trial is scheduled for October 15.
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