“It’s just a joke, so what?”… 40-year-old sentenced to prison for sexually harassing same-sex subordinate

Committed several crimes against subordinates while involved in other sexual crimes cases
The court said, “I have the same criminal record and I cannot receive forgiveness from the victim… Imprisonment is inevitable.”
Defense attorney: “The object of the forcible molestation crime is regardless of whether it is the same sex or the opposite sex.”

A man in his 40s who repeatedly sexually harassed a same-sex subordinate was sentenced to prison in the first trial.

On June 19, the Pohang Branch of Daegu District Court sentenced Mr. A, a man in his 40s who was brought to trial on charges of forcible molestation and assault, to one year in prison for forcible molestation and two months in prison for assault. In addition, Mr. A was ordered to complete a 40-hour sexual violence treatment program and restricted from employment at child and youth-related institutions for three years.

Mr. A was indicted on charges of forcibly molesting a subordinate at the same company several times over a period of about a year starting in June 2021. A charge of assault was also added to the victim because the employee intervened in the conversation.

Immediately after the crime, the victim reported this to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, an investigation was conducted, and Mr. A was suspended from work for 30 days.

It was revealed that at the time of the crime, Mr. A had been identified as the perpetrator of a similar sex crime and was being investigated and tried.

The court explained the reason for the prison sentence, saying, "Even though the victim clearly expressed his refusal each time, the defendant dismissed it as a joke and committed similar acts against other co-workers." He then pointed out, "When he confronted the victim to apologize, he again touched the victim without her consent and caused discomfort. If this is a habit of the defendant, he should be severely scolded and corrected."

The court added that it decided on the sentence considering the fact that Mr. A has a history of punishment for similar crimes and the fact that the victim is pleading for severe punishment. It is reported that the victim did not receive a proper apology from Mr. A and suffered from extreme stress as he continued to face Mr. A in the same space.

In charge of representing the victimDaeryun Law Firm emphasized that “the object of the crime of forcible molestation under the criminal law is regardless of whether it is of the same sex or the opposite sex,” and that “sexual acts against the will of the parties must be severely punished.”

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