The news of that day has passed, but its meaning remains with us today. "That Day's News Today" reads the present through the records of the past.
On June 3, 2024, more than 200 critical posts flooded the bulletin board of a police station in South Gyeongsang Province. The wave of criticism came as a current female police officer, suspected of having defended the perpetrators of the 2004 "Miryang Middle School Girl Gang Rape Case," was thrust back into the online spotlight.
On the same day, the YouTube channel "Narak Bogwanso" successively disclosed the identities of individuals identified as perpetrators in the Miryang case. Videos containing their names, faces, ages, and workplaces spread rapidly, and public outrage extended to their employers, families, and acquaintances.
The Miryang gang rape case, which had shocked Korean society 20 years earlier, was thus summoned back into the spotlight.
◇ Perpetrators Fired After Identities Disclosed = Narak Bogwanso also disclosed the identity of another man presumed to be a perpetrator. The video included his face, name, age, and workplace.
The man reportedly changed his name after the incident and was working at a showroom of Iron Motors, a dealership of Volvo Cars Korea.
As the controversy spread, Iron Motors stated, "We have taken this matter very seriously and have dismissed the individual concerned." The company added, "We apologize to our customers and will fulfill our corporate social responsibility going forward." The repercussions were severe enough to prompt an immediate dismissal.
◇ 44 Men Raped One Middle School Girl... A Case That Shook the Nation = The Miryang middle school girl gang rape case occurred in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province, in 2004. At the time, 44 high school students lured a middle school girl from Ulsan and gang-raped her over the course of approximately one year. The perpetrators, all high school students, were born between 1986 and 1988.
Prosecutors at the time indicted 10 individuals (seven detained, three not detained) who directly participated in the rape, but most received only probation or similar measures. Twenty others were referred to juvenile court or released with a warning, and the remaining 14 received non-prosecution dispositions due to settlements with the victim's side.
As a result, public outrage grew when it became known that a significant number of the 44 perpetrators were not criminally punished and had no criminal records. The case later served as the inspiration for the film "Han Gong-ju" and the drama "Signal."
◇ "Distorted Sense of Justice"... YouTube Channel 'Narak Bogwanso' Operator Receives Prison Term = However, the renewed disclosure of identities 20 years later sparked further controversy. Beyond the debate over "private retribution," the YouTuber who led the private retribution received a prison sentence.
In January, Kim Joo-seok, presiding judge of Criminal Division 6 at the Seoul Southern District Court, sentenced Kim, 32, the operator of Narak Bogwanso, to one year and six months in prison on charges including defamation under the Information and Communications Network Act. The court also ordered him to complete 40 hours of a stalking treatment program.
The court stated, "After learning that almost none of the individuals involved in the Miryang middle school girl gang rape case had received criminal punishment, the defendant planned to publicly shame the perpetrators and committed the crime out of a distorted sense of justice in pursuing private retribution." The court added, "Even if the targets were perpetrators, this constitutes a 'cyber wrecker' crime that reaches a dangerous level and risks shaking the rule of law by encouraging private retribution."
Notably, some of those whose identities were disclosed were confirmed to be unrelated to the Miryang case. The court ruled, "Without even minimal verification of information, the defendant widely disseminated information obtained from online bulletin boards and tip emails, inflicting irreparable mental damage on the victims and their families."
However, considering that Kim acknowledged the charges and made efforts to remedy the harm, the court did not order his detention in court.
◇ Even the Victim Booked for Leaking the Ruling... Aftermath Continues = Recently, it was belatedly revealed that the Miryang case victim and her younger sibling had been booked by police on charges of providing the perpetrators' personal information to YouTubers.
On the 19th of last month, Incheon Samsan Police Station announced that it had booked the victim, identified as A, and her sibling without detention on charges of violating the Personal Information Protection Act.
They are accused of passing on the perpetrators' real names, addresses, and resident registration numbers to YouTubers using court rulings and other documents they had obtained as the victim's side. In the process, it was also confirmed that personal information of third parties unrelated to the case was leaked along with the rest.
Police plan to forward the case to prosecutors soon.
