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Former DB Group chief gets suspended sentence over sex offenses

Kim Jun-ki, former chairman of DB Group / Korea Times fileA former South Korean conglomerate chairman was given a suspended prison sentence on Friday for sexually assaulting two women.The Seoul Central District Court sentenced Kim Jun-ki, former chairman of DB Group, to an imprisonment of two and a half years, suspended for four years, after finding him guilty of raping his housemaid and sexually assaulting his secretary.It also ordered the 75-year-old Kim to undergo 40 hours of sex offender treatment and barred him from employment at child, youth and disabled welfare facilities for five years.Kim is accused of raping and sexually assaulting a housemaid in his vacation home between February 2016 and January 2017 and of sexually assaulting his personal secretary between February and July 2017.Kim left for the United States in July 2017 to receive medical treatment.He resigned as DB chairman two months later after news media reported suspicions of his sexual offenses.Kim returned home last October and was immediately arrested after police revoked his passport, put him on an Interpol wa

Apr 17, 2020
Former DB Group chief gets suspended sentence over sex offenses

Doctor jailed for killing baby who 'burst out crying' during abortion

GettyimagesbankBy Jung Min-hoAn obstetrician has been sentenced to three years and six months in prison for killing a baby who “burst out crying” during abortion procedures.The Seoul Central District Court on Friday convicted the doctor, 65, surnamed Yun, of killing a 34-week-old baby and suspended Yun's medical license for three years.“Medical staff who participated in the operation have consistently said they heard the baby crying,” a three-judge panel of the court said in a statement. “It is clear that the doctor killed the baby, who was born alive.”Yun, who ran a maternity clinic in Seoul, received 28 million won ($23,000) for the operation from the mother of a pregnant girl, 16. Yun was later indicted on murder charges for putting the live baby in a bucket of water.Last year, the Constitutional Court ruled that the law banning abortion was unconstitutional and demanded the National Assembly revise it by the end of 2020.The court ruled that abortion before 22 weeks of pregnancy should be decriminalized, saying women's rights to self-determinati

Apr 10, 2020By Jung Min-ho
Doctor jailed for killing baby who 'burst out crying' during abortion

2 middle school students arrested for allegedly raping teenager

Two middle school boys who face charges of rape arrive at Incheon District Court, Thursday, to attend a session held to determine the validity of the arrest warrants sought by police. The court issued warrants for their arrest later in the day. / YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyeTwo male students at a middle school in Incheon have been arrested for allegedly raping a teenage girl who attended the same school, according to Incheon Yeonsu Police Station Friday. Police officials said the 15-year-old boys are facing charges of violating the Sexual Violence Crime Act.Kim Byeong-kook, a judge at Incheon District Court, issued warrants for their arrest the previous day.“Although they are juveniles, there were unavoidable grounds for arrest,” Kim said. On Dec. 23, the boys allegedly raped and assaulted the girl after forcing her to drink alcohol at a gym. The victim fell unconscious, and was dragged up the stairs near the rooftop of the building, before she was raped and assaulted, according to the girl's mother.During the investigation, the police took DNA samples from the boys and asked the

Apr 10, 2020
2 middle school students arrested for allegedly raping teenager

221 detained in police crackdown on digital sex crimes

GettyimagesbankPolice said Thursday they have detained 221 digital sex criminals nationwide last and this year after opening an investigation into 274 sexual crime cases.According to the National Police Agency (NPA), 32 of the detainees have been put under arrest for various digital sex crimes, including production and distribution of sexual exploitation materials, nonconsenting sharing of sex videos of women and secret filming of women in public places.By crime type, police have detected three cases of production and distribution of sexual exploitation materials, including one involving the "Baksabang" chat room on the messaging service Telegram that allowed paid members to view illegally taken photos and videos of violent sex acts involving underage girls.Baksabang founder Cho Ju-bin, a 25-year-old, and his three co-conspirators have been arrested for allegedly blackmailing women into providing their sexual videos to the Telegram chat room.Another 10 cases involved redistribution of such sexual exploitation materials, police said.In as many as 144 cases, offenders were charged with

Apr 9, 2020
221 detained in police crackdown on digital sex crimes

Arrest warrant requested for soldier over involvement in online sex exploitation case

GettyimagesbankThe military prosecution is seeking an arrest warrant for an Army soldier suspected of involvement in an online sexual exploitation case, military sources said Sunday.According to the sources, the prosecution asked the military court for a pretrial detention warrant for the Army private first class, whose identity is being withheld.The soldier allegedly distributed content of women performing gruesome sex acts under coercion in collaboration with the case's prime suspect, Cho Ju-bin.Police questioned the soldier over these allegations last Friday. The civilian and military police have vowed collaboration on the case.Cho, arrested last month, is accused of luring and threatening victims into producing sexual content and distributing such photos and videos via Telegram chat rooms. Authorities have so far listed the nicknames of about 15,000 paid members of the so-called Baksabang chat rooms on the messenger service and are now tracking down their personal identities.The soldier in question is also suspected of advertising the chat rooms to gather more members. (Yonhap)

Apr 5, 2020
Arrest warrant requested for soldier over involvement in online sex exploitation case

Ex-public worker arrested for leaking info to digital sex crime offender

A Seoul court on Friday issued an arrest warrant for a former public service worker for allegedly making illegal inquiries into personal information of hundreds of people and leaking that information to the leader of a high-profile digital sexual exploitation ring.The Seoul Central District Court approved the prosecution's request to arrest the former public service worker identified only as 26-year-old Choi, saying there is probable cause to detain him for violating the Personal Information Protection Act.Choi is accused of illegally inspecting the personal information of about 200 people and delivering information on about 17 of them to Cho Ju-bin, the operator of a pay-to-view online chat room of a sexual nature, while serving as a public service worker at a community center in Seoul.Cho, a 25-year-old, has been detained for allegedly blackmailing girls into sharing sexual videos, which were then posted in his illegal chat room, dubbed "Baksabang," meaning a doctor's room, on the Telegram messenger service.At least 103 people, including 26 teen girls, are believed to have been exp

Apr 4, 2020

Court denies arrest warrant for Chong Kun Dang heir

By Bahk Eun-jiThe Seoul Central District court denied a request for a warrant to arrest the eldest son of Chong Kun Dang Holdings, a pharmaceutical manufacturer, who is accused of filming and distributing sex videos through his social media accounts, Friday.The court said arresting the eldest son, identified by his surname Lee, 33, would not be necessary at this stage of the investigation. The Seoul Central District court dismissed a request for a warrant to arrest the eldest son of Chong Kun Dang Holdings, a pharmaceutical manufacturer, accused of filming and distributing sex videos through his social media accounts, Friday. /Korea Times file“In addition, victims didn't want him to be punished,” said Judge Choi Chang-hoon of the Seoul Central District Court as he denied the arrest warrant request.The suspect closed his account on Twitter where he uploaded the video clips.According to Seoul Hyehwa Police Station, Lee has recently been accused of violating the Special Act on Crimes of Sexual Violence, by sharing on Twitter secretly recorded videos of him having sex with di

Apr 3, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Court denies arrest warrant for Chong Kun Dang heir

Woman charged over baby's death after giving birth in restroom

Police in South Korea arrested a woman after she gave birth in a public restroom then threw the newborn baby out a window, according to reports. Police in the city of Gwangju said the incident took place on Feb. 5 and involved the defendant, identified only as a 23-year-old woman, and an "accomplice," who did "not prevent the death of the newborn," Newsis and News 1 reported Wednesday. Police initially sought to charge the second defendant, a man, but ultimately decided to not pursue a warrant for his arrest. Police did not say what the man's relationship was to the defendant. Authorities said the defendant notified her acquaintance as she began to go into labor at an Internet cafe in Gwangju. In text messages, the defendant reportedly said, "I think the baby is coming out. I don't know what to do." Her acquaintance said, "Do what you think is best." Police were called to the scene after a witness in a building opposite the cafe reported the incident. "There is a lot of blood on the bathroom wall," the witness told police, according to reports. The defendant was subsequently rushed t

Apr 2, 2020
Woman charged over baby's death after giving birth in restroom

Judge recuses himself in sex exploitation case

An online petition against Judge Oh Deok-sik drew more than 420,000 endorsements./ Screen capture from president.go.krBy Kim Se-jeongA lower court judge in Seoul initially assigned to hear one of the cases involving a suspect accused of selling access to violent sexual videos on Telegram recused himself Monday amid mounting public pressure against him.A public petition posted on the Cheong Wa Dae website asking for Judge Oh Deok-sik's removal from the case drew more than 420,000 endorsements. According to the Seoul Central District Court, Monday, the judge submitted a letter announcing his intention to withdraw from the case and “the court accepted it acknowledging that the situation he was in could hinder him from doing his job.” The case was immediately assigned to a female judge.The petitioner wrote: “Oh is notorious for giving lenient sentences to sex offenders. I can't comprehend why the same judge was assigned to hear probably one of the largest sexual exploitation cases in Korea. His gender sensitivity is close to zero, and he hurts victims by letting crimina

Mar 31, 2020By Kim Se-jeong
Judge recuses himself in sex exploitation case
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