The police have belatedly announced they will change the investigating team and engage in a rigorous investigation into the actions of the other boys. Most of the perpetrators may be students, but when you think of the unspeakable mental and physical pain inflicted on the girls there must be commensurate punishment.

The case is a demonstration of how twisted the culture of sex is in our society and of the current state of women's rights. The perpetrators held the victims captive in a continuous cycle of sexual violence by threatening them with physical violence and disclosure of videos of what happened. The girls were experiencing terrible suffering and yet did not report what was going on for fear of reprisals and what others would think. It is a tragedy that originated in our society's low level of human rights awareness and a culture of sex that allows tolerance for men while being strict towards women. It was apparent in the way the case was handled as well.

The police who first investigated the case went easy with the perpetrators and acted as if it was all no big deal. They did not maintain their pledge to protect the identities of the victims and allow them to be questioned by female police officers. One of them reportedly used abusive language against the girls, and you're at a loss for words when you learn that the victims and their families have received threats. The perpetrators were issued indulgences and the victims were made to suffer twice the abuse. The police and the parents of the boys need to engage in serious self-reflection.

The case has to be made a time for breaking the wrongful habit of treating rape as nothing all that terrible while simultaneously victimizing the victims twofold. Penalties have to be strict and victims' rights have to be thoroughly protected. In addition, sex education and counseling need to be made more substantial.

The Hankyoreh, 11 December 2004.

[Translations by Seoul Selection (PMS)]