'Seodaemun Elementary Abduction Attempt' Goes to Trial After One Year... Child Abuse Charges Added

Two Men in Their 20s Indicted Without Detention
Prosecutors: "Attempted Luring Constitutes Emotional Abuse"

Two men in their 20s who attempted to lure students near an elementary school in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, have been brought to trial nearly a year after the incident. Prosecutors have also added the charge of child abuse, which the police had not initially considered.

A group of men in their 20s who attempted to abduct a child near an elementary school in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul appeared at the pretrial detention hearing held on the 5th at the Seoul Western District Court in Mapo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News.

According to the legal community on August 14, the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office indicted the two men in their 20s without detention on August 6, charging them with attempted abduction of minors and violation of the Child Welfare Act (child abuse).

The men are accused of driving around the vicinity of an elementary school in Hong-eun-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, on August 28 last year, and attempting three times to lure students who were on their way home from school by telling them things like "I'll take you home." The attempt was unsuccessful as the students ran away from the scene.

In March of this year, the police referred both men to the prosecution without detention on charges of attempted abduction of minors. Another man in his 20s who had been caught with them was deemed to have played only a minor role and was not charged.

Initially, police considered whether to apply child abuse charges but concluded it would be difficult to do so. However, after conducting additional investigations, including further questioning of the suspects and reviewing CCTV footage, prosecutors decided to add the charge of child abuse.

Prosecutors determined that the very act of attempting to lure minors could be seen as inflicting emotional abuse on the children. They viewed this as a case of "concurrent imaginary offenses," where a single act constitutes multiple crimes.

The case also sparked controversy over the police's initial response and the delay in the investigation. At first, the police dismissed the first report as a "misunderstanding," but after subsequent reports, they arrested the suspects. As similar reports began to occur nationwide, the government responded by introducing joint safety measures to protect children on their way to and from school.

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