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TikTokker with 55 million subscribers sentenced to prison for sexual assault

Published: 16 Apr. 2025, 18:50

The Supreme Court [NEWS1]

The Supreme Court upheld an 18-month suspended prison sentence for a Korean influencer with tens of millions of followers who was convicted of sexual assault.

The man in his 20s surnamed Seo, who had a combined following of 55 million subscribers across social media platforms including TikTok and YouTube, was arrested and charged in December 2023. He was accused of sexually assaulting a woman he had been drinking with after taking her to the home of a mutual friend, surnamed Kim, in July of that year.

Legal sources said Wednesday that the Supreme Court had upheld a lower-court ruling on March 13 that handed Seo an 18-month prison sentence suspended for two years. Seo was charged under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes.

Prosecutors charged both Seo and Kim with quasi rape under aggravated circumstances, arguing that they had committed the crime together. The district court agreed, sentencing Seo to three years and six months in prison and Kim to four years and six months.

The appeals court found no evidence that the sexual acts had been carried out in a continuous or sequential manner and downgraded the charge to quasi rape, a lesser offense. The court reduced Seo's sentence to one year and six months in prison, suspended for two years. The court also took into account that Seo had settled with the victim during appeal proceedings.

The prosecution appealed the decision, but the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal, stating that the ruling contained no legal error.

Kim, who was indicted alongside Seo, received a prison sentence of one year and six months. His sentence was upheld without suspension.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.

BY HAN YOUNG-HYE [[email protected]]