Yoo Jaehwan Sentenced to 5 Million Won Fine in Appeal Trial for Indecent Assault Charges

Contact with Victim Under Pretense of Free Songwriting in 2023

Court: "Respecting First Trial... Credibility of Victim's Testimony Recognized"

Composer and broadcaster Yoo Jaehwan has been sentenced to a fine of 5 million won in his appeal trial on charges of indecent assault, upholding the original ruling.

On July 16, the Criminal Division 3-1 of the Seoul Southern District Court of Appeals (Presiding Judges Jang Yunseon, Cho Gyuseol, and Yoo Hwanwoo) held the sentencing hearing for Yoo at 2 p.m. Both the prosecutor's and defendant's appeals were dismissed.

The court stated, "The first trial appears to have considered various circumstances in determining the sentence after finding the defendant guilty, and there are no special grounds for leniency." The judges continued, "The victim met the defendant for the first and only time on the day of the incident, and the matter was initially resolved through an apology and settlement via Jung Mo, but a formal complaint was filed over a year later, for which there was a credible explanation."

The court also added, "There seems to be no reason for the victim to have falsely accused the defendant after a year," and regarding some inconsistencies in testimonies, said, "They are not directly related to the charges, and the minor weakening of the testimony can be attributed to natural fading of memory over time."

Yoo was brought to trial on charges of indecent assault after posting on Instagram in June 2023, offering to compose songs free of charge and then forcibly molesting the victim he met through this post.

The court of first instance found Yoo guilty, sentencing him to a fine of 5 million won and ordering him to complete a 40-hour sexual violence treatment program. However, Yoo appealed the verdict, and the prosecution also appealed, claiming the sentence was too lenient.

At the first hearing of the appeal trial in June, Yoo's legal team reiterated his denial, arguing, "It is hard to imagine he would risk the end of his broadcasting career by committing indecent assault on a woman he had met for the first time in a public place." They also asserted that the original verdict was unfair, citing discrepancies between witness and victim testimonies.

The prosecution, in contrast, asked the court to overturn the original verdict and hand down the initial sentence recommendation from the first trial—one year in prison.

Yoo became known as a composer through MBC's "Infinite Challenge" and wrote several songs including "Myungsoo's Tteokbokki." He debuted as a singer in 2015 under the stage name UL, and in June this year, changed his stage name to Jeongkyung and formed a new band.

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