“3 cases of sexual crimes” Ex-B.A.P Himchan, how much is he trying to lower the sentence?
Former B.A.P member Himchan, who was indicted for sexual crimes, is once again facing an appeal trial
On February 8th, through his legal representative, Himchan submitted an appeal against the first-instance verdict on charges of rape and violation of the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Assault Crimes (using a camera to film and using communication media for lewd acts). Previously, on February 7th, the prosecution also submitted an appeal, deeming the verdict unfair, and now, with Himchan’s appeal, the upcoming trial will proceed to the appellate court.
The Seoul High Court’s Criminal Division 10, which has taken over the case, is scheduled to hold the first appellate trial on April 25th.
The Seoul Western District Court’s Criminal Agreement Division 12 sentenced Himchan to three years in prison with a five-year probation. The court ordered Himchan to complete 40 hours of sexual violence treatment programs and imposed a three-year ban on employment in child, adolescent and disabled-related institutions. The judge stated, “The defendant is an idol, so the impact of his crimes is significant. The victims no longer wish for the defendant’s punishment. Considering that the defendant deleted all illegally filmed videos and did not distribute them to third parties, and that the level of coercion in his sexual assault was relatively low, the court considered the defendant’s age, occupation, health status and family relationship in determining the sentence.“
Himchan has faced three charges of sexual crimes. He was convicted of sexually harassing a woman in her 20s who accompanied him at a pension in Joan-myeon, Namyangju-si, Gyeonggi-do in July 2018, and received a 10-month prison sentence in the first trial in February 2021, followed by a 10-month prison sentence in the second trial in February 2023. While the second trial for the sexual assault charge was ongoing, the Seoul Western District Prosecutors’ Office additionally charged Himchan with rape, illegal filming and sexual assault.
Himchan was accused of sexually assaulting a victim in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul and illegally filming the act in May 2022, and sending photos of the victim taken during the crime to her in June 2022.
Furthermore, Himchan was also charged with forcibly molesting 2 women on a staircase outside a bar in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul on April 17th, 2023, while still undergoing trial for his sexual crimes.
Meanwhile, the prosecution stated that they appealed the first-instance verdict to seek a heavier punishment for Himchan, who raped and illegally filmed his fan, stating, “Considering the defendant’s cunning crimes using his fan’s feelings, threatening and assaulting the victim after raping her, then illegally filming her, the nature of the crime is very bad, and considering that he committed another similar crime while undergoing trial, we took this into account.“
In addition, Himchan’s appeal is likely to raise public eyebrows. Himchan has submitted a total of 20 letters of apology and appealed for leniency during this time’s trial. Himchan’s second trial, seemingly based on the unfairness of the sentencing, will begin again.
