[OSEN=수원, 곽영래 기자] 배우 강지환이 14일 오후 수원지방법원에서 열린 성폭행 혐의에 대한 항소심을 마친 뒤 법원을 나서고 있다. 성폭력범죄의 처벌 등에 관한 특례법상 준강간 혐의를 받는 강지환은 지난해 7월 경기 광주시 오포읍 소재 자신의 집에서 외주 스태프 여성 2명이 자고 있는 방에 들어가 한 명을 성폭행하고 한 명을 성추행한 혐의로 기소됐다. 이에 1심 재판부는 강지환에게 징역 2년 6월에 집행유예 3년을 선고했다. 또 120시간의 사회봉사와 40시간의 성폭력 치료프로그램 이수, 아동·청소년 관련기관 및 장애인복지시설에 각 3년간 취업제한 등도 명했다. /youngrae@osen.co.kr
This is a really odd turn of events and since I covered K-actor Kang Ji Hwan‘s allegations and later conviction for sexual assault last year it’s only fitting to write about new information in the case. Last year in 2019 Kang Ji Hwan was accused by two women of sexual assault, alleging he got drunk and molested and locked them up in his condo. Kang Ji Hwan admitted he was drunk, claimed not to remember the assault, and later plead guilty. He was sentence a few months later to two years and six months in jail but the sentence was suspended for three years of probation. He appealed the sentence and this week during the appeal process new evidence was submitted: text message threads of the two victims with their friends during the time period of the alleged assault and CCTV recording from the living room and other areas of the condo (but not the bedroom and bathroom which doesn’t have CCTV).
The recording shows Kang Ji Hwan drinking with the victims, swimming with one in his rooftop pool, and later drunk and getting helped to the bed by the victims. Later the victims took a shower while he was passed out and wandered around his condo wearing underwear contradicting their claim that he locked them in the bedroom. The text messages show them marveling at his expensive condo and also contradict their claim that they didn’t have cell service. Oh man, if Kang Ji Hwan really was the victim of false allegations I hope these two women are prosecuted to the full extent, but if he still assaulted them and just their stories are not accurate then it’s just a big ole mess.
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It doesn't matter, his career,over.
What do you mean by it doesn't matter? Can you elaborate? Cause surely you're not dismissing the emotional turmoil abuse accusations bring on victims and all those connected to them?
It does matter. I'd like to know my brother, cousin, father, friend did not do what they were accused of. They aren't perfect or beyond reproach but I'd hope they didn't do this.
Wrongly accuse an innocent person is a crime. Hey, we have the same name, but we are not the same person (just want to clarify).
It does matter, because of it his career is over.
Of course it matters, In the US, there is a history of black men and boys being killed and imprison as a result of false accusations of rape usually of white women. If this man is truly innocent, the accusers should be severely punished, The prosecutors and the public need to be more careful about prosecuting allegations of celebrities assaulting fans. I hope this young man can recover his life.
If you were in his shoes, if truly innocent and career and life is destroyed,what would you do? But then, there are always ruins left to start life, right?
Hoping the truth, innocent or not,it is only the truth that prevails. only these 3 people know what happened.
I am sorry it does matter. Can you imagine the trauma that his family and himself has to endure all these months ? Wrongly accused someone is a real crime. It's a very cruel thing that he is accused of such crime especially he is innocent and I do believe he is.
Cannot speak too fast on this. The best is yet to come. 5 Nov 2020 Supreme Court verdict.
Wah, this is so crazy. But if he proves innocent than he could come back to acting like how park shihoo (?) did. What the reasons for ruining someone's career? And they went around in his house on their underwear? Hmm.. no matter how nice he is, he's still a man. Wondering who's gonna win.
Lesson for everyone, alcohol, drugs mpair judgement.
If he was already convicted and only now is all of this crucial evidence coming out, exactly HOW BAD was the investigation and his defense team on this case? Ouch. Even if he is still guilty, why is such important stuff only coming to light now?
Good Question:
In the previous court trials, the CCTV video was NOT fully available. Only a portion of the video footage was used at both trials because SOMETHING mysterious happened to the portions which we are now seeing come to light!
Yes, half of the footage disappeared. The part that supports the prosecutions case was the portion that was available, but the part that sheds light on the other parts of the case mysteriously disappeared. This is why he kept asking throughout the case, "why are portions of the CCTV video missing, and where’s the rest of the video footage?"
Remember, he wasn't allowed to return to his home after the arrest because the prosecution said he might compromise the evidence. However, as we see, someone else compromised the evidence, and it would seem to point to the prosecution having had first access to his home and his personal things the day of his arrest.
This is definitely the missing portion of the CCTV video footage. Actually, I'm glad to see that the footage finally came to light. I don't know who or how it came to be, but it would seem that a Higher Power has a Hand in all of this. There are times when you just CAN'T do evil to innocent, kindhearted people.
Because they've lied so viciously, the TRUTH will come to light, and he will be vindicated. There really is a God working on his behalf that knows the whole Truth!
This is a good sign. I believe he's just an innocent victim of a very cruel set of circumstances.
He's in my prayers...
Fully agree your analogy. Suoreme Court verdict on 5 November 2020. I believed in Justice to save innocent person.
I can only wonder what kind of lawyers Kang Ji-hwan had. Why didn't they come up with this? They let an A-list actor not only plead guilty but do the perp walk and a year later we find out there's possibly exculpatory evidence.
This is unbelievable. I feel for him. He always seemed like a nice person. He was so quick to apologize and accept his own guilty. I got the feeling even if he did not remember what happened he was willing to accept punishment since if he had done it, he was truly sorry. Imagine then finding out that he was set up. I bet these women also wanting a lot of money. I don't see why he can not go back to acting. But I bet he never drinks with women ever again.
Agree! I remember believing that he genuinely felt sorry & wasn’t denying the accusations. Because he was drunk & couldn’t, he might have possibly committed the alleged crimes so he accepted punishment. I worked in victim services for a decade & the new information shows the victims behavior are inconsistent with that of sexual assault victims. We want to be careful of victim shaming, but at the same time, women making false allegations should be held accountable.
I've also always wondered why he was so out of it and they weren't! Not saying they roufed him but can't throw that out either. I will just wait to see where this new information leads.
Those women are Chinese.
Sorry I meant only as a question, should have put a Question mark ? Because I cannot read either languages... Sorry!
someone translated the messages in Chinese - they are Korean.
Thanks. Wow I wonder how those people can get a hold of the text messages... Isn't court evidence not allowed to be published until appeal is over?
WOW...what a turn of events! i would like to hear the end of this case!
It's like a drama that went makjang. The main thing I remember when this happened is that the dude was so drunk and incoherent that the police threw him in the drunk tank to sober up. I did have a kernel of an idea that he didn't sound like he would have had the wherewithal to be locking anyone up but, lickety-split, he was apologizing. So, yeah, godawful investigation and lawyers. Not saying he isn't guilty of something but this isn't as cut and dried as it was reported.