Victim of 2004 Miryang gang rape case speaks in rare public address

The primary victim in an infamous 2004 gang rape case by high school boys discussed the case in a rare interview with a local media outlet that aired Saturday, explaining to the public the pains she had to endure due to the horrid incident and secondary damages that followed.

The victim, referred to as Kim, not her real name, in a recent episode of "Unanswered Questions" on SBS said she had been living in fear of retribution from the 44 alleged perpetrators of the incident in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province, all of whom dodged criminal punishment for being minors at the time.

"I was too young to know anything about what's going to happen, and I thought our testimonies would be enough to have them punished," she said.

The middle school girl was victimized by the group of boys calling themselves the "Miryang Coalition" for months. Kim's younger sister was also physically assaulted by the boys and her older sister was raped, along with two more high school girls and another middle school girl, in the horrid incident.

"It's been the same since 2004, I can't live my daily life without medication," Kim said, adding that both she and her younger sister were never able to graduate high school and both are receiving mental treatment to this day.

She said she believed all 44 had been punished until she learned the truth recently by going through the case files. Of the 44, only 10 were tried. Those 10 were ultimately sent to juvenile facilities.

The case has recently come back into the national limelight after a group of YouTubers began posting videos early last month revealing the information of the suspects, many of whom were leading normal, even affluent lives. A couple of the men claiming to be among the perpetrators recently posted public apologies, and videos identifying suspects have led to some being fired from their jobs.

The YouTubers had claimed that they obtained the victim's consent -- referring to Kim -- but she and her younger sister have maintained that they did not give permission. About the videos revealing their identities, Kim's younger sister said the incident had fueled their fear of the perpetrators' retribution. "We're still living in hell, and it was frightening."

Beside the horrendous sexual and physical assault, what tortured the victims most was the barrage of secondary damage from those surrounding them, particularly those who were supposed to protect them. The primarily victim had her identity revealed, and police officials had her pinpoint the perpetrators to their faces, during which they cursed at her.

Officers insulted Kim to her face. The suspects demanded she accept a settlement and even asked her to write a letter to the court saying that she had a crush on one of the alleged rapists.

Kim said her father was often drunk and did not provide protection against the barrage of attacks that took place after the case became public. He is purported to have been the beneficiary of the settlement for 45 million won (about $32,000 today) that allowed most of the suspects to walk free.

Custody of the sisters was eventually changed to their mother, as they had been living with their father after their parents' divorce. They were also transferred to schools in a different region. But harassment continued from the suspects' parents, who told the producers of "Unanswered Questions" that they were "appalled" by their sons still being mentioned 20 years after the settlement.

Two decades after the incident, the primary victim of one of the worst sex crimes in the country's history said she only wants to understand the details of the case. She said she wants to know why the files say the victim did not provide testimony, what the criteria were for arresting the suspects or referring them to juvenile facilities and how many were released after settlement.

Long gone were the dreams she had as a kid, replaced by only the desire to lead a normal life.

"I can't even remember what my dreams were. I just want mom, my brother, and my sister, who suffered so much because of me, to be free from this nightmare," she said.

By Yoon Min-sik(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)