A man in his 30s, convicted of having sexual relations with a 14-year-old girl he met through social media, has been ordered by a court to pay a total of 13 million won in damages to the victim and her mother.
According to Yonhap News on October 8, Judge Shin Seung-ah of the Eastern District Court ruled that the man, identified as C, must pay 10 million won to the victim, referred to as A, and 3 million won to her mother, B.
The ruling stated that C contacted A through a messaging app after seeing a post she made on social media in mid-November of last year. On November 19, at around 2:10 a.m., he parked his car in front of an apartment in Busan and sexually assaulted A in the back seat.
C was charged with statutory rape and sentenced in April to 2 years and 6 months in prison, with a 4-year probation. His appeal was dismissed, confirming the sentence.
Statutory rape laws are designed to protect children and adolescents, punishing sexual acts with minors regardless of consent if they fall below a certain age.
Judge Shin noted that A is likely to experience significant negative impacts on her emotional development and the formation of healthy sexual values. She also stated that B likely suffered considerable mental distress due to the crime against her young daughter.
However, the court considered that C had already paid 7 million won as part of a mental damages settlement during the criminal trial, leading to the final compensation amounts of 10 million won for A and 3 million won for B.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.