Kang Ji Hwan Receives Finalized Probation Sentence For Sexual Assault Case

Kang Ji Hwan has received a finalized sentence after being put on trial for sexually assaulting and sexually harassing two female staff members.

On June 11, the Suwon High Court held an appeal trial over Kang Ji Hwan’s case and decided to uphold the original ruling — the actor had been given a prison sentence last December of two years and six months that is suspended for three years of probation. This means that he will only serve the prison sentence if he commits another offense during the three-year probation period.

Later that month, Kang Ji Hwan went on to file an appeal over the second trial’s ruling to maintain his sentence, and his case then headed to the Supreme Court.

On November 5, the Supreme Court upheld the original ruling, meaning that Kang Ji Hwan, who was indicted on charges of quasi-rape and quasi-indecent acts by force, received a finalized prison sentence of two years and six months suspended for three years of probation.

In July of 2019, Kang Ji Hwan was apprehended by police at his home in Gwangju after they received a report that he had entered a room where two female staff members were sleeping and then sexually assaulted one of them and sexually harassed the other. During the trial process, Kang Ji Hwan has pled guilty to quasi-rape but denied part of the charges of quasi-indecent acts by force.

Victim “A” had claimed that Kang Ji Hwan had assaulted them while they were intoxicated and asleep. Kang Ji Hwan stated that he had evidence that “A” had sent a KakaoTalk message to another person during that time and that victim “B” was intoxicated and asleep but not incapable of resisting.

Being charged with quasi-indecent acts of force means that the perpetrator has taken advantage of the other’s unconsciousness or inability to resist, and if “B” was proven to have been sleeping intoxicated, Kang Ji Hwan’s charges could be confirmed.

During the first trial, Kang Ji Hwan was charged with criminal charges of quasi-rape and quasi-indecent acts by force after it was judged that the KakaoTalk messages from “A” were short enough to have been sent while intoxicated.

The appeals court had stated as its reasoning for upholding the original sentence, “The statement from ‘A’ was not irrational or inconsistent in any way, and there was no reason or motive to make a false report.”

Rejecting Kang Ji Hwan’s appeal, the Supreme Court said, “From the investigations to the trials, the victim of quasi-indecent acts by force testified in a consistent and detailed manner about the defendant’s actions and the victim’s feelings.”

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