Teens Who Waterboarded and Sexually Abused Peer Receive Final Suspended Sentences

Two teenage girls who beat a fellow student, subjected her to water torture, and forced her to perform sexual acts on camera—then spread the footage—were handed suspended prison sentences.

The crimes began on the afternoon of September 18, 2024. The pair visited the home of their peer, identified only as C, after coming to believe that an assault on their friend was connected to C. After entering the house, A threatened C with a weapon and forced her into a bathtub, where she subjected her to water torture. When C tried to get out, B struck her with a plastic bottle and a wooden spatula. The two then forced C into a moving box, kicked her, and burned her with a cigarette. They also forced her to eat toothpaste. During the ordeal, C suffered a sprain in her spinal area and second-degree burns on her face and elsewhere.

A sexual offense came to light during the investigation into the assault. On September 23, 2024, A was drinking and playing a game with peers at a one-room apartment in Nowon District, Seoul, when she forced D, as a game penalty, to take off all her clothes and then coerced her into sexual acts while filming with a mobile phone. B, who received the video, spread it later that month in a group chat on a social media platform that included the victim's younger brother and several others.

The court stated, “Given the circumstances, content, and methods of the crimes, the defendants' conduct is deplorable,” while also noting that “they have admitted to the offenses and shown a remorseful attitude.” The court added that “they were in the process of forming their character at the time of the crime, and remain so today, leaving room for improved behavior and rehabilitation.” “The sentences took into account that the defendants reached settlements with some of the victims and have no prior record of juvenile protection measures or criminal punishment,” the court explained.

Neither the prosecution nor defendants A and B appealed, leaving the first-instance verdicts against the two finalized as handed down.