A woman in her 20s accused of wearing only a box while naked in busy areas such as Apgujeong and Hongdae in Seoul for YouTube content and letting passersby touch her body received a suspended prison sentence on appeal. The punishment is far harsher than the fine imposed in the first trial.
The Seoul Central District Court Criminal Appeals Division 2-2 (Presiding Judges Kang Hee-seok, Cho Eun-ah and Kwak Jeong-han) on the 17th overturned the lower court's sentence of a 4 million won fine in the appeal of a person surnamed Lee, who was indicted on an indecent exposure charge, and sentenced Lee to eight months in prison, suspended for two years. The court also ordered 40 hours of lectures on preventing recidivism in sexual violence.
The type of sentence changed from a fine to imprisonment, raising the overall level of punishment. The bench said, "The prosecutor appealed, saying the sentence was light, and the defendant herself would know that," adding, "It was reported in the media and caused public controversy, so the lower court's sentence can be considered low, and we set a new sentence after overturning the first-instance ruling."
While Lee's side acknowledged the facts at the first trial, it argued that the exposure did not rise to the level constituting the crime of indecent exposure, but the court did not accept the claim.
The court also sentenced two heads of an adult content production company who were indicted along with Lee to 10 months in prison, suspended for two years, and one year in prison, suspended for two years, respectively. They, too, had received fines at the first trial.
They were brought to trial on charges of having passersby touch Lee's breasts inside a box in busy areas such as Apgujeong and Hongdae in Oct. 2023. After video of the scene was posted on social media (SNS), Lee became known as the "Apgujeong box woman."
Meanwhile, Lee has also been indicted on a charge of violating the Narcotics Control Act, with the first trial currently underway at the Seoul Central District Court.