Middle schoolers indicted for livestreamed sexual abuse of classmate

Two middle school students were on Wednesday indicted for assault and sexual abuse of another middle school student in an incident that they livestreamed.

Daegu District Prosecutors’ Office on Wednesday indicted a 16-year-old and a 15-year old, both of whom were in the ninth grade. The 16-year old boy, who is thought to have played the lead role in the incident, has been detained by authorities.

The victim was reportedly sexually abused, with the suspects forcing him to undress and then spanking him in a motel room in Daegu on Jan. 9. The scene aired live for around 30 minutes, and police were notified following reports from the victim’s friends who were watching.

Aside from the incident that was broadcast, the suspects reportedly also forced the victim to cross over thin ice on Geumho River in Daegu and coerced him to shout in a supermarket after repeatedly hurling insults at him, according to local media reports.

The prosecution additionally requested the court review custody probation orders to allow the Justice Ministry to continue to monitor the suspects after their release, contingent on their conviction, to prevent any recurrence of the crimes.

As the South Korean Criminal Act stipulates the maximum criminal minor age as 14, the suspects are facing full criminal procedures.

“We will respond strongly to school violence and offer full protection for the victims,” said an official from the Daegu Prosecutor’s Office in a briefing with local media.