Lee was booked but not physically detained in December 2007 after he lured a seven-year-old boy to a neighborhood public restroom and raped him for 20 minutes.
The Seoul Nambu District Court said, “The accused didn’t show any signs of remorse and committed a similar crime after being convicted twice before.
“It is inevitable he will be incarcerated, especially considering the mental stress the seven-year-old victim is undergoing,” the court said.
Story in Korean here.
11 comments:
Not to sound like Woopie "It Wasn't Rape-Rape" Goldberg, but I'm not sure if the word "rape" is appropriate here. 성추행 covers a wide range of things, but not usually rape, as far as I know. He did something indecent, obviously, but given that the court thought it was being tough on the perv/perp by giving him eight months, I'd say whatever the guy did, it wasn't serious. Or as not-serious as a guy engaging in sexually indecent behavior with a seven year old can be.
OK, I feel dirty now.
20 minutes? That's a little long for rape.
And, better yet, 20 minutes in a public restroom? What, nobody noticed?
It was his third offense????? And he's only 20? And his victim was a child?
To Robert: "whatever the guy did, it wasn't serious"... to a 7 year old boy. Wtf?
According to my co-teacher, you can only get a total of one year in juvy. My take. http://www.youseok.wordpress.com
It doesn't really add up that he would only get eight months for raping a seven-year-old. Surely there's some mis-translation or factual inaccuracy at play here?
Um, I am HOPING there's some mistranslation involved here, as 8 months for raping a 7-year-old would be horrifying. Though I guess any number of months is better than a suspended sentence. I can't believe that constitutes looking on the bright side.
No idea about the translation - maybe 'sexual inappropriateness' would fit better. We need a native Korean opinion :)
And seriously, 20 minutes in a public bathroom? Where's the PARENT?! It's too easy to snatch a kid off the streets - especially when the kid runs 50 meters ahead of the parents...
Here's hoping in that 8 months he learns what rape really is...
The article said the man enticed the child on the pretense of sexual education. The Korean word does not translate into "rape" but more like molestation or sexual battery.
If this was more like "show me yours and I'll show you mine" and some fondling without force, then it could be as light as sexual battery, which in most US jurisdiction is a misdemeanor. It could just as easily be a felony child molestation as well, but my point is, without some more relevant details, the sentence isn't as outrageous as you may think.
The article mentions severe mental trauma so I tend to think it was more serious than my first example though.
성추행 = sexual assault
English speakers generally interpret sexual assault as rape, but like homicide, there are degrees, all of which involve force or coercion. Touching someone's genitals or forcing someone to touch yours would be sexual assault, not mere harassment.
IMO, any kind of sexual contact with a child is serious enough to warrant more than 8 months, especially for a repeat offender.
"He did something indecent, obviously, but given that the court thought it was being tough on the perv/perp by giving him eight months, I'd say whatever the guy did, it wasn't serious. "
Korean courts tend to give light sentences for sexual crimes, and Korean judges are lenient for all kinds of reasons. Recall the case of the mentally impaired rape victim returned to the male relatives who raped her repeatedly. It's my guess that the judge went easy on the repeat molester because of his young age and because he gave an Oscar-worthy performance in showing remorse.
I have my doubts it is a mistranslation.
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