Four of the 11 people identified by the YouTuber were unrelated to the case, court says
An appellate court on Friday confirmed a fine for a local YouTuber who disclosed identities of several perpetrators in the 2004 Miryang gang rape case but also mistakenly accused several unrelated people.
The appellate division of the Incheon District Court upheld a 10 million won ($6,600) fine for the defendant, who was indicted on charges including defamation under the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection.
“The first instance trial appears to have sufficiently taken into account the circumstances of the defendant,” the appellate court said.
“Even considering the arguments raised in this trial, the sentence cannot be seen as too heavy or too light.”
The defendant was accused of posting on his YouTube channel in June and July 2024 the names and photos of 11 people identified as perpetrators in the Miryang gang rape case, thereby damaging their reputations. Of the 11, four were reportedly not directly related to the case.
The Miryang gang rape case refers to a series of sex crimes committed over about a year beginning in December 2004 by around 40 male high school students in Miryang against one middle school girl.
The case resurfaced in public debate around June 2024, drawing widespread outrage over the lack of meaningful punishment, with only a small number of perpetrators having been brought to trial.
Some YouTubers then began revealing the alleged perpetrators’ personal information in what they described as acts of justice.
seungku99@heraldcorp.com
