By Kim Rahn

Three male students at one of Seoul’s most prestigious private universities sexually assaulted a female schoolmate, police said Friday.

Officers at Seongbuk Police said they are investigating three students of Korea University’s medicine college on suspicions of sexually assaulting a drunken female student during a school trip last month.

The students went on a field trip to Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, on May 21 along with other classmates. At their accommodation the female student drank too much and fell asleep in a separate room.

The three students allegedly followed her into the room, undressed her and touched her body. They shot the scene with a camera and their cell phones.

The perpetrators and the victim have studied together for six years, and are scheduled to graduate next February.

She reported this to the school’s counseling center and the Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center. She claimed that they not only touched her but also raped her. She is receiving mental therapy from the shock of the crime

“They admitted to touching her and shooting the photos, but are denying the rape accusation. They had deleted photos and video clips when we seized the camera and the mobile phones,” a policeman said.

To confirm the rape suspicion, police asked the National Forensic Service to conduct a physical exam on her and examine her clothes. They also requested an attempt to recover the deleted photo files.

“It is a sexual assault case involving more than two perpetrators, a case where at least a five year jail sentence can be passed down. If it is confirmed they raped her, we’ll seek arrest warrants,” the officer said.

The examination results will be released next week.

According to the school, the accused students are from affluent families, their parents employed as doctors and lawyers.

University officials said the school authorities will decide how to punish them after the police investigation. One official said they may consider expelling them, the most severe form of punishment the university can opt for.