A man who spread the personal information of a perpetrator in the Miryang gang rape case on social media (SNS) was sentenced to prison again on appeal.
The Seoul Southern District Court Criminal Division 2-2 (Presiding Judges Kim Ji-suk, Jang Seong-hun and Woo Gwan-je) on the 10th rejected the appeal of a person surnamed Choi, 57, who was indicted on charges including violating the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection (defamation), and upheld the lower court's sentence of eight months in prison and a 3 million won fine.
The court said, "The defendant posted (personal information) as if it were a definitive fact without making any effort to verify it, even though a video uploaded by a YouTuber with many subscribers does not ensure truthfulness."
It added, "Although some money was deposited with the court at this stage, the victims either do not intend to accept it or it is difficult to confirm their intention to accept," noting, "False content was posted even after the summary indictment, and we took into account that the victims are also petitioning this court for stern punishment."
From May to September 2024, Choi is accused of uploading a 40-minute video and Reels containing the perpetrator's pre-name-change name, alma mater and photos in the Miryang rape case. Choi is said to have edited a video from the YouTube channel "Narak Archive," which first disclosed the perpetrator's identity, and posted it on Choi's SNS.
The Miryang gang rape case is an incident in which 44 high school students from Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province, lured a Ulsan middle school girl in December 2004 and raped her repeatedly over the course of a year.