Victim-blaming man complains she threatened to reveal his identity
A woman who survived an attempted rape and murder is now defending herself in court against a man who harassed her with victim-blaming threats, and who now accuses her of threatening to reveal his identity online.
According to Seoul police on Wednesday, the accusation by the 28-year-old man surnamed Oh is currently under review. Oh claimed that the victim, identified by the pseudonym Kim Jin-ju, intimidated him by mentioning his online handle and writing posts like, "Live your own life before I reveal your real name," "Stop working at internet cafes and get a real job before I reveal your actual name and face."
Oh was sentenced in November to one year in prison, suspended for two years, for various charges including intimidation, stalking and obscene acts using telecommunication. It was ruled that 10 messages he sent to Kim from Aug. 11 to Oct. 4 of 2023 were threatening and induced sexual humiliation.
This included comments such as, "Remember that your actions only incite the perpetrator (of the assault)," "You'll receive a beating when I see you," along with severe profanity. He has appealed the ruling.
After Kim was assaulted in 2022, she suffered a wave of victim-blaming online, but she said Oh is the only person she has sought to have criminally punished.
Victim of brutal attempted rape-murder says she is 'living happily'
In the original assault case, widely referred to as the "Busan roundhouse kick incident," then-26-year-old Kim was attacked in May 2022 by a 30-year-old man named Lee Hyeon-woo, who intended to rape and murder her. Lee followed the victim to her residence and brutally kicked her in the head near the elevator of the building.
Surveillance footage showed Lee dragging her unconscious body to a corridor and fleeing the scene about 8 minutes later. She was found by her sister and another resident, partly undressed and with severe injuries to her head and her ankle that left her partially paralyzed.
The evidence suggested rape, but the DNA found on the victim's body was too contaminated for an accurate analysis. Lee was ultimately sentenced to 20 years in prison when the Supreme Court in 2023 confirmed that he attempted to cause the death of another person by rape, as stipulated in Article 301-2 of the Criminal Act.
The victim last year published a book about her legal battles related to the crime, under the penname Kim Jin-ju. In an interview with local media in April, she said her leg paralysis is almost gone and that she is "living a happy life."
She said her penname Jin-ju, which means pearl in Korean, represents her resolve to be reborn after the incident. In the book, she explained that she slowly approached each part of the crime scene with her boyfriend to overcome the trauma, and that the support of many people has helped her recover.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
