Sexually Exploited Teen Slipped Through the Cracks of Victim Protection System

A 15-year-old girl, identified only as A, who was being coerced into prostitution at a shared lodging facility in Jeongneung-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, was murdered by a man in his 50s. It was confirmed on the 12th that police, despite being aware of her victimization, did not refer her to a protection organization.

According to police, A was found stabbed at the shared lodging facility in Jeongneung-dong at around 1:40 a.m. on the 11th, and had died in the early hours of the previous day. Jin Mo, 59, who is accused of the murder, was urgently arrested by police the same morning. Kim Mo, a woman in her 20s who is under police investigation on charges of coercing A into prostitution (violation of the Juvenile Sexual Protection Act), was found to have booked the lodging facility in Jeongneung-dong where Jin committed the crime.

Investigative agencies are obligated to refer victims to protection organizations when investigating cases of coerced or arranged prostitution involving children and adolescents. Article 38 of the Juvenile Sexual Protection Act stipulates that judicial police officers who discover child or adolescent victims of prostitution must notify the Minister of Gender Equality and Family and the heads of local governments. However, police maintain that "no notification was made because the investigation is ongoing." The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family has asked police to actively report cases upon identifying child and adolescent victims.

The Seoul Northern District Prosecutors' Office filed an arrest warrant for Jin on the same day on charges of murdering A. Police believe Jin committed a premeditated crime, having purchased the weapon in advance and discarded it after the act. According to police, Jin has refused to give a statement for a second day, and police plan to deploy a profiler to determine the circumstances of the crime.