69 international students investigated for rape of minor

Police are investigating international students at a university in Gangwon Province who have been accused of statutory rape of a local middle schooler.

Some 69 students are being investigated, according to a local news outlet in Gangwon.

The International Crime Investigation Team of the Gangwon Provincial Police Agency said they are investigating students enrolled in an unnamed university in Gangwon, according to G1 TV report on Monday, and graduates of the school.

The teen reportedly told police that the string of assaults began when a few international students approached her with gifts.
In December 2020, the students began to share their sexual encounters with the teen on social media, she says.

The sexual encounters occurred over 100 times, according to the teen.

Police said the students were aware that the girl was a minor.

The National Assembly passed an amendment last year that raised the age of consent from 13 to 16 to protect more minors from sex crimes.

Police began their investigations after the girl made a complaint and narrowed down the suspects.

“We thought we were taking good care of our international students, so this news comes as a shock to us,” said a staff member of the unnamed university.

“We feel very ashamed for what has happened.”

The police have issued a travel ban on all 69 international students.

Public response online was incredulous.

“I thought this was news from like the early 2000s,” reads one comment on the JoongAng Ilbo article.

BY HA SOO-YOUNG, LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]