Police arrest YouTubers who doxxed 2004 gang rape suspects

South Korean police on Tuesday said they have arrested two YouTubers who revealed the identities of the suspects in a 2004 gang rape case in Miryang, in a show of force against the self-proclaimed vigilantism that was opposed by the victim herself.

The two YouTubers, one in his 20s and the other in his 30s, are under investigation for the doxxing that took place on their respective channels between June and August this year, according to the cyber investigation unit of the Gyeongnam Provincial Police.

They are accused of revealing the names, personal information, and even restaurants run by one of the Miryang suspect's family. The two are accused of defamation as stipulated in the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection.

While the YouTubers' actions shone some light upon events surrounding the heinous crime against the underage victim two decades ago, along with the unfair mistreatment she received from members of her community and the authorities, the victim has stated that she is opposed to revealing the identity of the suspects, who were not charged.

The doxxing videos also affected people unrelated to the case, as the YouTubers did not verify the information they had acquired online or via unconfirmed sources. In a few cases, they posted information about people who had no connection to the gang rape case.

"The so-called 'cyber wreckers' spread unverified information to get attention, and their reckless doxxing can cause severe damage (to the wrongly accused). We urge (the public) to take caution, and we will do our best to investigate this case," police said. Officials are also investigating other YouTubers who revealed information about those allegedly related to the Miryang case.

In Korea, "cyber wrecker" refers to a person who profits by posting rumors or negative news about celebrities.

Earlier this year, several YouTube channels posted information about the suspected perpetrators of the Miryang gang rape case, in which 44 high school boys in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province were found to have physically and sexually assaulted a then-14-year-old girl over a year. None of the suspects were criminally charged on account of them being minors with no prior criminal record.

The incident sparked a nationwide furor, which was intensified with the revelation that the investigators handling the case asked inappropriate questions to the victim and mistakenly revealed her identity to the media.

In the aftermath of the doxxing videos, the support group Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center held what became a successful fund-raiser for the victim, who was revealed to have been experiencing financial hardship after the tragedy.

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