Home > National > Social Affairs

Man sentenced to probation for exploiting schoolgirl in Korea

Published: 25 Nov. 2025, 16:34

An image of a statue of Justitia, the goddess of justice [KOREA JOONGANG DAILY]

A man who tricked an elementary school girl into shooting sexual videos on the pretense that he was a K-pop insider and holding an online audition was sentenced to probation.

The man was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for two years, on charges of using communication media for obscene acts under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes, according to legal sources on Tuesday. He was also ordered to attend 40 hours of sexual violence treatment lectures.

In May 2024, the man met a 10-year-old girl in a KakaoTalk open chat room. Upon learning, she dreamed of becoming a K-pop idol, he deceived her by claiming to be an entertainment industry professional.

According to the ruling, the man instructed the child to undress or touch her own body parts, saying, “If you audition via video call, I'll help you debut as an idol.” He also pressured her to go to a room alone and emphasized their relationship as "lovers," saying things like, “I'm doing this because I love you” and “Even if you fail the second audition, you'll be my girlfriend, right?”

The man claimed during the trial that he was in a state of diminished mental capacity, but the court rejected the claim. “Considering the circumstances and methods of the crime, it cannot be deemed a state of diminished mental capacity,” said the court.

“The defendant approached the victim, an elementary school student, lied about working in the entertainment industry and then made her say things that caused sexual disgust, making the nature of the crime particularly bad,” said the court. However, it also considered that “he has admitted to the crime, is in a state of economic hardship and has poor health due to intellectual disability and lower body paralysis.”

BY SHIN HYE-YEON [[email protected]]