Leniency for tycoon in rape case

No tolerance should be shown for sex offenders

Former DB Group Chairman Kim Jun-ki was released Friday after receiving a suspended sentence for raping his housemaid and sexually assaulting his secretary. The Seoul Central District Court convicted Kim, 75, of the sex offenses but gave him a 30-month prison sentence suspended for four years.

The court cited his age and the “forgiveness” of his victims as reasons for the suspended sentence. Kim, who had been accused of sexually assaulting the two women in 2016-17 when he served as chairman of DB Group, a mid-level conglomerate engaged in businesses ranging from construction and steel to finance, mostly admitted to the charges.

But it is an undeniable fact that he committed a heinous crime against those in weaker positions, using his higher status as the head of a conglomerate. Just like the court said, he also “forgot his responsibilities as the chairman of a conglomerate who needs to show socially exemplary behavior.”

What's more, the sexual violence was committed repeatedly, causing prosecutors to seek a five-year prison sentence. Kim, who fled to the United States in July 2017 after news media reported suspicions about the sexual offenses, returned home only after police revoked his passport, put him on an Interpol wanted list and sought his extradition from the U.S.

One cannot help but wonder whether this is an example of the country's courts sticking to their old habits of showing leniency to chaebol tycoons and their family members. Legal pundits, in particular, are raising questions about the suspended sentence ruling handed down to the accused, who stayed abroad for over two years to avoid the police investigation.

There is a consensus in our society that sex offences should not be tolerated. But the court showed leniency to Kim, using questionable reasoning. It is worrisome that our judicial branch remains numb to the growing calls for harsher punishment of sexual violence. Judges should be more impartial and stricter when it comes to crimes committed by those in power.