According to the Gimcheon branch of the Daegu District Prosecutor, four members of the Iranian national athletics team were accused of aggravated rape on 17 July pursuant to South Korea law on special cases concerning the punishment of sexual crimes.
The accident occurred on May 31 in a hotel in Gumi, in the province of North Gyeongsang, which was the arrangement of the Iranian delegation team. The victim, a 20 -year -old Korean woman, was attacked by men during the early hours of the morning.
Initially, the police arrested two athletes and a coach on the scene. The filming of surveillance subsequently revealed the involvement of a fourth Iranian athlete, who was also taken in custody. However, the police released this athlete without informing the victim or looking for a detention mandate, subsequently transferring the case to the judicial procedure in case of non-abusive.
After receiving the case, the ministries convened the victim for a formal identification process. He positively identified two of the previously detained athletes and the athlete released as authors. Subsequently, the public ministries obtained a arrest warrant for the individual previously released and put it in custody.
The investigations also determined that the Iranian coach played a key role by acting as a guard during the crime.
An accusation official underlined the gravity of the case, affirming, “This is a serious crime that involves the group rape of a Korean woman by a foreign national team visiting for an international sporting event. We assure that the case proceeds with full responsibility to combine the severity of the crime.”
The case aroused a widespread outrage in Korea, in particular for the initial management of the investigation and the perceived inability to promptly retain all suspicions. Legal proceedings are now provided to follow while public ministries are looking for adequate punishment.
