A woman who was gang-raped and her younger sister, who suffered from guilt, both took their own lives. Later, their mother was sued by the rapists and is now required to compensate them financially. In 2004, a woman worked as a film extra. While working, she was raped by four men and sexually harassed by eight others. Afterward, she began exhibiting strange behaviors at home, such as mumbling to herself or breaking objects. Her family took her to the hospital, where they discovered that she had been raped by multiple men. She received treatment at the hospital and filed charges against the perpetrators. However, the men threatened her, saying things like, “I will burn down your house” and “I will kill your entire family.” Out of fear, she withdrew her charges. On August 18, 2009, she jumped from the 18th floor of an apartment building and died by suicide. In her suicide note, she wrote, “I was a sex toy for those men” and “I have no reason to live anymore.” Six days after her suicide, her younger sister also took her own life. She felt guilty because she had recommended the job to her older sister. After losing both daughters to suicide, their father suffered a stroke due to shock and passed away. The mother grieved deeply over the suicides of her daughters and the death of her husband. She was also enraged that none of the men who had raped her daughter faced any punishment. In 2014, she filed a civil lawsuit against the twelve men who committed sexual crimes against her daughter. However, because three years had passed since the crimes occurred, she lost all of the lawsuits. As a result, the perpetrators faced no consequences. Instead, they sued the mother for holding solo protests with placards that read “Rapist! Murderer!” (In South Korea, there is a law called “Defamation by Fact,” which allows individuals to sue for defamation even if the statements made are true.) Several of the perpetrators filed lawsuits against her and won. Since they won all three trials, she is now required to pay them compensation ranging from 3 million to 5 million KRW per person. Other perpetrators also filed lawsuits against her. In one trial, the court ruled that she must pay them 10 million KRW in damages and refrain from posting anything about them online in the future. If she violates this ruling and posts about them online again, she will have to pay them an additional 1 million KRW per post (this ruling is not yet finalized; if she appeals, a second trial will take place). I feel deep sorrow for the woman who was raped and driven to suicide, for her younger sister who suffered from guilt and also chose suicide, and for their father who died from shock after losing his daughters. I am heartbroken that their mother is now left alone and is required to pay money to these perpetrators. What does South Korea’s legal system exist for? naver.me/GtUFtYtO
