[Sportschosun Baek Ji-eun] Kim Cheol-soo and former AOA member Kwon Mina have had their sexual assault victimization from 18 years ago recognized.
Kwon Mina recently wrote on her account, "When I was preparing for and starting the trial, I was told that because the case was from 14 years ago, if we could prove not only rape but also assault, the statute of limitations would not have expired and a harsher punishment for the perpetrator would be possible. That gave me hope. Even when the prosecutor sought a 10-year sentence, I was excited because I thought the perpetrator would serve prison time. In the second trial, the rape charge was recognized, but the assault charge was not."
She continued, "Although the reality is that the statute of limitations has passed and no meaningful punishment can be imposed, I don't think the past four years were simply painful. I believe it is meaningful that at least one charge was recognized, and I can be satisfied with the outcome that proved that person was a bad person. It has now become something that happened 18 years ago, and back then I had no choice but to hide it, but now that time has passed, the atmosphere feels different. I want to tell many victims not to blame themselves, not to hide, and to find even more courage to speak out."
She added, "I still have to prepare for another difficult lawsuit, but for now I want to focus on treatment. In fact, I could only go to work for one day before having to quit. I will rest well, regain my strength, and try again when the timing is right."
Kwon Mina sparked controversy in 2020 when she revealed that she had left AOA after being bullied by Jimin. In 2021, she said that when she was in middle school, she was hit with a beer bottle by a group of senior students known as school bullies and was sexually assaulted by an older male student a year ahead of her. She explained that she had no choice but to stay silent because the perpetrator was a well-known figure in Busan, while she was the breadwinner of a poor family. However, she said she would gather the courage to take legal action because the statute of limitations would run until 2023.
She recently revealed that she suffered burn injuries after receiving 600 shots of sleep Shrink lifting.
Baek Ji-eun, silk781220@sportschosun.com
