YouTubers unveil alleged identities of Miryang gang rape assailants

The alleged identities of some perpetrators of the 2004 Miryang gang rape were exposed online over the last week, reigniting outrage over the incident 20 years ago that saw a group of high school students repeatedly sexually assault a teenage girl.

A list of videos uploaded by a YouTuber who revealed the identities of the assailants in the Miryang gang rape case in 2004 [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The alleged identities of some of the perpetrators of the 2004 Miryang gang rape were exposed online over the last week, reigniting outrage over the incident 20 years ago that saw a group of high school students repeatedly sexually assault at least one teenage girl.

The Miryang gang rape case involved at least 44 high school students who repeatedly sexually assaulted a 14-year-old middle school girl, identified by her surname Choi, over the course of a year in Miryang, South Gyeongsang in 2004.

Choi, who lived in Ulsan, became acquainted with a high school student in Miryang, identified by his surname Kim, in June 2003 after dialing the wrong number. They continued talking online until Choi decided to visit Miryang in January 2004 upon Kim’s invitation.

The number of perpetrators may have been much higher than the 44 involved in the case. Both Choi's sister and cousin were also assaulted.

The 44 assailants, born between the years of 1986 and 1988, did not receive any criminal punishment.

At the time, 10 of the assailants who directly took part in the sexual assault were indicted and sentenced to probation, 20 were sent to juvenile detention centers and 14 settled.

The YouTuber began revealing the alleged identities of the assailants on Saturday, announcing plans to disclose the identity of all 44 perpetrators.

So far, the identities of four assailants have been made public, including one revealed by another YouTuber.

According to the first YouTuber, who has more than 450,000 subscribers as of Thursday afternoon, the details of some perpetrators were provided by other perpetrators.

The backlash against the alleged perpetrators named by the YouTuber was immediate, with a restaurant in Cheongdo, South Gyeongsang where one alleged perpetrator used to work demolished on Thursday. The restaurant owner left a note at the site apologizing for employing the individual, claiming he is their nephew. The owner also apologized for running a restaurant in an unauthorized building, a suspicion raised by online doxxers earlier in the week.

Another alleged assailant who worked at a car dealership was fired on Tuesday, while a third, who worked at a large conglomerate and was identified by the surname Koh, was suspended on Thursday while the company investigates the allegations.

On Wednesday, the Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center, an organization claiming to represent the victim, released a statement saying that Choi was not involved in the campaign to unmask the perpetrators and had never agreed to reveal the identities.

It added that Choi and her family call on the YouTuber to delete the videos.

The Miryang gang rape case became famous not only for the horrific nature of the crime, but also for the lenient punishments and accusations that police mistreated the victims and failed to investigate thoroughly.

A Seoul court and the Supreme Court later found the police guilty of negligence.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]