The court issued a rare warning by postponing the sentencing schedule for a man in his 40s who posted photos of not only the perpetrators of the 'Miryang mass sexual assault' but also people unrelated to the case on YouTube.
On the 21st, Judge Hwang Bang-mo of the Incheon District Court's Bucheon branch postponed the sentencing schedule for A (45), who was indicted on charges of defamation under the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection.
Judge Hwang asked the defendant, 'Why do you keep displaying (the family photos of those related to the case)?' but when A insisted he had 'pixelated' them, the judge decided to postpone the sentencing.
Judge Hwang said, 'Even if they are pixelated, you posted family photos,' and asked, 'How would you feel if your eyes were erased? Do you feel good about it?'
As A continued with his excuses, Judge Hwang warned, 'This is not a simple case, so I will not issue a ruling today. I will see what happens by the next sentencing date.'
A, who appeared wearing a black mask, simply replied 'I understand' after Judge Hwang's decision to postpone the ruling and exited the courtroom.
The prosecution sought a two-year prison sentence for A during the closing arguments held on the 14th of last month. A was indicted for defaming 11 people by identifying them as perpetrators in the Miryang mass sexual assault case and posting their names and photos on his YouTube channel from June to July last year.
Among these 11 individuals, four are said to not be perpetrators of the sexual assault case.
The Miryang mass sexual assault is a case that occurred in December 2004, where 44 high school students in the Miryang area repeatedly sexually assaulted a middle school girl from Ulsan for one year.
Since June of last year, as the identities of the perpetrators were revealed online, the case received renewed attention, sparking controversy over 'private sanctions' and other issues.