The Late Kim Sae-ron’s Family: Unable to Legally Punish Kim Soo-hyun, Calls for Stronger Laws on Statutory Rape Involving Minors
On April 1, the YouTube channel Garo Sero Research Institute shared a link on their community page. The link directs to a National Consent Petition titled “Petition for Raising the Age and Strengthening Penalties for Statutory Rape Involving Minors, Also Known as the ‘Kim Soo-hyun Prevention Law'”.
The purpose of the petition is to raise the applicable age range for statutory rape currently protecting children aged 13 to under 16 to those aged 13 to under 19, and to increase the severity of penalties.
The petition states, “Recently, the grooming sex crime committed by Hallyu star Kim Soo-hyun against then-minor child actress Kim Sae-ron has come to light, enraging the entire nation. However, unfortunately, under current law, statutory rape only protects minors between the ages of 13 and under 16, making it legally impossible to punish Kim Soo-hyun.”
It continues, “Although Korean law clearly defines anyone under 18 as a minor deserving of protection, the age limitation of statutory rape protecting only those aged 13 to under 16 allows a pedophile who lured and manipulated a promising young actress since childhood, ultimately driving her to death, to evade legal punishment. Therefore, to prevent such incidents from happening again, we urgently call for an amendment to the statutory rape law under the name ‘Kim Soo-hyun Prevention Law’.“
Garo Sero Research Institute commented, “Just a short while ago, the bereaved family of actress Kim Sae-ron sent us this petition link. They said it was their heartfelt wish that no more victims like Kim Sae-ron emerge. While it is still being reviewed whether Kim Soo-hyun can be prosecuted under existing laws, the bereaved family emphasized that this kind of legislation is urgently needed to prevent a second or third victim like Kim Sae-ron.”
Meanwhile, at a press conference held the previous day at the Stanford Hotel in Mapo-gu, Seoul, Kim Soo-hyun adamantly denied ever being in a relationship with Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor.
Kim Soo-hyun’s side stated, “We have filed a defamation complaint with Gangnam Police Station against the bereaved family, an unnamed person claiming to be Kim Sae-ron’s aunt, and the Garo Sero Research Institute operator for spreading false information through online platforms. Additionally, we have submitted evidence including Kim Soo-hyun’s appraisal statements and filed a civil lawsuit seeking a total of 12 billion KRW in damages.”
