A YouTuber who disclosed the personal information of perpetrators involved in the group sexual assault case in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province, through a YouTube channel has been sentenced to prison in the first trial.
On October 15, Judge Kim Woongsoo of the Seoul Southern District Court's Criminal Division 15 sentenced Choi (56), who was indicted on charges including defamation under the Information and Communications Network Act, to eight months in prison and a fine of 3 million won. The court ordered Choi to be taken into custody immediately, citing concerns about the possibility of flight.
Judge Kim stated, "It is reasonable to view that the defendant posted the videos with the intention of imposing private sanctions to prevent the related individuals from participating in social life," adding, "This is not permitted under current law and cannot be considered as serving the public interest."
He further explained, "If private sanctions become widespread throughout society, it could undermine the judicial system, making the offense serious," and added, "The defendant disclosed information about individuals whose involvement in the Miryang sexual assault case had not been confirmed."
Choi was charged with capturing and editing videos from the YouTube channel 'Narak Bogwanso,' which contained personal information such as the names, photos, addresses, and workplaces of the perpetrators in the Miryang group sexual assault case, and uploading them to his own YouTube channel.
The Miryang group sexual assault case refers to an incident in December 2004, in which 44 high school students from the Miryang area lured a middle school girl from Ulsan to Miryang and sexually assaulted her over the course of a year. The case drew renewed attention last year after the perpetrators' personal information was disclosed online, sparking controversy over private sanctions and related issues.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
