‘I Am Solo’ contestant given suspended prison term for sexual assault
Seoul Western District Court / Yonhap
A former contestant on SBS Plus and ENA dating program “I Am Solo” has received a suspended prison sentence on charges of sexually assaulting a woman.
The Seoul Western District Court on Thursday sentenced Park, 35, to 1 year and 6 months in prison, suspended for 3 years, for quasi-rape, defined as the act of having sexual intercourse with a person who is unable to consent. The court also ordered him to complete 40 hours of sexual violence treatment courses and barred him from working at facilities related to children, teenagers or people with disabilities for five years.
Park was accused of assaulting a woman in her 20s at a parking lot in Seoul’s Mapo District around 3:30 a.m. on June 21.
“The defendant is believed to have engaged in intercourse despite the victim’s refusal, exploiting her intoxicated state,” presiding judge Kim Woo-hyun said. “The victim sustained injuries while resisting and suffered significant psychological trauma.”
The court added that Park’s admission of guilt, remorse and settlement with the victim, who expressed she did not wish to seek punishment, were taken into account. Park also spent 3 months in detention during the proceedings, which the court considered as time for self-reflection.
Park appeared on both “I Am Solo” and its follow-up program “I Am Solo, Love Forever.”
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.