"Paradise for Perpetrators, Hell for Victims"

Police Delay Action on Secondary Sexual Violence for Two Years
"Prosecution Unable to Track Investigation Delays"

The police have reportedly taken no action for nearly two years after a sexual violence victim filed a criminal complaint against YouTube creators, asking them to stop secondary victimization.

In September 2024, the victim identified as “A,” who was involved in the sexual harassment case of former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, filed a complaint at Mapo Police Station in Seoul against two YouTube channel creators. The complaint alleges that in July 2024, these creators uploaded a one-hour video to their YouTube channel, claiming the victim was enjoying a lavish overseas education in the United States thanks to preferential treatment from the Seoul Metropolitan Government, and that they disclosed information in the video that could identify the victim, such as her surname and the name she uses in the United States.

The video has garnered over 1.1 million views. “A” also filed complaints against two unidentified individuals who provided information about her study abroad experience in the video, as well as another YouTuber who re-edited and uploaded a shortened version of the video to his own channel. The charges include defamation through the dissemination of false information under the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, and violation of the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Crimes for disclosing secrets.

As of July 2026, nearly two years later, the police have yet to decide whether to forward the accused to the prosecution. “A”'s representatives stated that they have submitted over five statements and evidentiary documents, yet have not received proper updates from the police regarding the progress of the case. According to police investigation regulations, if a case cannot be processed within three months of receipt, the police must notify the complainant of the investigation status every month (Article 11). The police maintain that, due to additional legal review being necessary, the case is currently under review by the higher authority, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.

Attorney Kim Jaeryeon (Judicial Research and Training Institute, 32nd class), who is representing “A,” commented, “This is neither a complicated nor a new type of crime, so I suspect the authorities are hesitating because the case is politically sensitive.” Kim further stated, “Due to the adjustment of investigative powers between the prosecution and the police, the prosecution can no longer even check how many cases the police are stalling. For victims, it is a living hell, and for perpetrators, a paradise.”

It is known that most investigative delays occur at the police investigation stage. Of the 1,597,659 cases processed by the prosecution in 2024, only 160,194 cases, or just 10%, were sent back to the police for supplementary investigation.

Attorney Yang Hongseok (36th class), who previously served as an advisor to the Prosecution Reform Promotion Group, said, “While it is difficult to quantify the passivity and irresponsibility of police investigations, there is no denying that cases being closed without proper investigation over a long period have markedly increased.” Yang added, “Unless the system of forwarding all cases to the prosecution is reinstated, it will be impossible to uncover fabricated or concealed cases.”

Reporter Park Seongdong, The Law Times

※This article is based on content supplied by Law Times.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.