bullying - this was reported in the Chinese newspaper at the time - is there an update?

Sexual Assault Case Provokes Uproar
Police Under Attack for Mistreating Victimized Middle School Girls


By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter

Police have arrested a total of 12 high school boys and booked 29 other
students from Miryang, South Kyongsang Province, on charges of sexual
assaults on five middle school girls.

Investigators at a police station in the southeastern industrial city
of Ulsan initially arrested three suspects, but Saturday arrested
another nine of the 41 suspects after victims and their families
protested.

The boys were arrested on suspicion of gang raping three middle school
girls from the city and two others from Changwon on several occasions
since January.

Public anger is growing over police mishandling of the case. Human
rights activists and the public have called for reform of
investigations into sexual assault cases, which they claim have often
infringed on the privacy of victims.

On Tuesday, the 41 high school students from Miryang were caught by the
police after beating and raping three middle school girls several times
since January.

The boys allegedly met one of the victims, identified as Choi, 14,
through chatting on cell phones, and sexually assaulted her when she
visited them in Miryang in January.

They then threatened to upload the scene of the assault on the
Internet, and lured Choi's sister and a cousin then raped them as well.

The boys also allegedly raped two other middle school girls in Changwon
in November. The assault suspects are believed to be members of a
juvenile gang composed of high school students in Miryang, some 350
kilometers southeast of Seoul.

Police at first arrested only three of the 41 boys involved, but the
victims and other citizens strongly protested, demanding that other
suspects be arrested and punished.

Only then did police arrest the additional nine students and book 29
others without detention on Saturday.

Police have come under strong criticism for reportedly making the young
victims of the sexual assaults feel ashamed and insulted during the
investigation, by failing to protect them from their assaulters and
even leveling insults at them.

The victims and their families demanded questioning by female police
officers, but were ignored by the police. Some of their personal
details were also made public.

When the victims were questioned at the police station, family members
of the assaulters besieged the victims, threatening them with
additional attacks.

In the course of investigation, the girls were also able to hear abuse
from one of the attackers. Police also made the victims point out their
assailants in front of them, leading the girls to worry about the
possibility of revenge.

One police officer was also found to have insulted the victims, saying:
``My hometown is Miryang, and you girls have brought disgrace on the
city.''

With the public outcry over the insensitive actions and remarks by
police mounting, some 150 people held a candlelight vigil Saturday at
Kwanghwamun, central Seoul, to urge the government and law enforcement
authorities to take disciplinary action against the police officers
involved and bring harsh punish for those suspected of the assaults.

They also called for reform of present investigation practices for
cases of sexual assault to better protect victims, claiming that
current methods often result in additional trauma for victims by
infringing on their rights and privacy.

rahnita@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
12-12-2004 17:02



High school boys from Miryang, South Kyongsang Province, hide their
faces in their clothes, before police questioning over their alleged
sexual assaults on five middle school girls, at a police station in
Ulsan, Tuesday. / Yonhap
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Please enter your comments here.

28 Mike 12-13-2004 17:52
This is horrible! Why di dthe KT take so long to report it?But you can
bet the next time a GI does something to a Korean, however minor, it
will be reported immediately

27 zecks 12-13-2004 16:59
Yes, this happens all over the world, but it also reflects the society,
especially the cop`s statement. This could be a great opportunity for
the government to get active on women`s rights, but Roh`s more
interested in revenge on the other politicians. This is Korea, and
nothing will change. How sad.

26 damihater 12-13-2004 16:36
Dami, you are pretty damn crazy to say that this is a misdeamenor. Can
you honestly say that after your mom gets gang raped? Some people are
just stupid.

25 sadsadsad 12-13-2004 16:34
What the heck is wrong with the newspapers for not reporting this
sooner? This is crazy people. The press would report something stupid
over something that needs justice to be done.

24 Jack 12-13-2004 16:31
This is really sickening. Parents who deny their kids wrong doing may
themselves be rapists. I wonder what those parents, insensitive police
officers, and kids would say if they or their loved ones were raped.
Extremely sad, how morally degraded these people are.

23 Gar 12-13-2004 14:23
I can`t believe the insensitivity of the `police.` Add to that the
assailant`s families attacking the girls in the police station. It must
have been like a big circus, except no one`s laughing. The local police
have brought shame on the city of Miryang, not the victims.

22 Hamel 12-13-2004 13:04
I am glad (if I can use that word in this awful case) that the Korea
Times has finally reported on this story. Given the woeful state of the
English language media in Korea I was not surprised to see nothing on
the story until Saturday, and fully expected it never to be covered in
any Korean English language newspaper, largely for reasons similar to
what the policeman was alleged to have said to one of the victims - it
ruins the reputation of Korea.

21 kimchipig 12-13-2004 12:48
Those boys need a taste of their own medicine. I woul offer to cornhole
all the cute boys. A nice slow cornholing over and over.

20 too tried... 12-13-2004 12:33
Well said. (to KA & STIMR2) if KT dont provide much, why read? nobody
is forcing you to read KT. there is always other source that provide
better news right ?

19 Concerned KA 12-13-2004 12:15
As the world develops new technology, it also comes with a bad side and
this is it. We have to accept the resposibility that comes with it.
This is not an excuse for the perpetrators- in fact, they should be
severely punished. Children are growing up way too quickly and I feel
the responsibility is being ignored by parents. If they are looking for
society to raise their kids for them, this is the result. Teach your
kids well, and things like this won`t happen.

.