Ex-head of adult production studio gets 10 years for assault, exploitation

A former head of an adult photo production company was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Thursday for sexually assaulting models and producing sexual exploitation material involving minors.

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

A former head of an adult photo production company was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Thursday for sexually assaulting models and producing sexual exploitation material involving minors.

The Incheon District Court sentenced the former executive on charges including sexual intercourse by abuse of authority and forcible molestation under the Criminal Act.

The court also ordered the defendant to complete 40 hours of sexual violence treatment and barred them from working at institutions related to children or people with disabilities for 10 years after release.

In a related ruling, the court sentenced the current head of the same production company to one year in prison for producing sexual exploitation material involving minors under the Act on the Protection of Children and Youth Against Sex Offenses. The court also ordered the current head to complete 40 hours of sexual violence treatment and imposed a three-year ban on employment at child- or disability-related institutions.

During the sentencing hearing, the court rejected the two defendants’ arguments and concluded that all charges had been proven.

“The investigation began after the victims came forward with 'MeToo' declarations following long deliberation,” the court said. “One should acknowledge wrongdoing and work to repair the harm caused, but the former executive went beyond denying the charges and instead falsely accused the victims by filing baseless criminal complaints."

The image shows a court building. [JOONGANG ILBO]

"The victims suffered severe psychological shame and distress, with some experiencing suicidal thoughts. The court must show victims who may have fallen into despair that perpetrators receive punishment commensurate with their guilt."

During the trial, the defendants argued that they did not use "coercion or deception" and claimed rival companies encouraged the victims to provide false testimony to damage their business.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY HYEON YE-SEUL [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]