Court Upholds Probation Sentence For Kang Ji Hwan After Appeal Over Sexual Assault Trial

Kang Ji Hwan’s original sentence has been upheld by the court.

On June 11, an appeal trial was held by Suwon High Court over Kang Ji Hwan’s charges of quasi-rape and quasi-indecent acts by force. The court decided to uphold the original ruling of a prison sentence of two years and six months that is suspended for three years of probation. This means that he will only serve the prison sentence if he commits another offense during the three-year probation period.

The court stated that while he is denying part of the crimes, when considering the evidence, they determined that the original sentence was reasonable. They added, “When considering factors such as the facts of the case, the circumstances of the crime, and the victims’ request for leniency, the sentence does not seem to be too harsh or too lenient.”

Kang Ji Hwan was apprehended by police on July 9, 2019 at his home in Gwangju after they received a report that he had entered a room where two female staff members were sleeping and then sexually assaulted one of them and sexually harassed the other. Although the actor initially stated that he could not recall the incident, he canceled all activities following his arrest and eventually admitted to the majority of charges in a statement. However, Kang Ji Hwan continued to dispute parts of the evidence.

When sentencing him to three years of probation last December, the court said, “During the trial, the victims have stated that they do not want punishment for the defendant, however considering the nature of sexual assault crimes, it would be difficult to see it as there being a recovery from the damage. It is not right for there to be an end just because the defendant has reached an agreement, and he should repent for the rest of his life for the healing of the suffering of the victims.”

Following the ruling, both the prosecution and Kang Ji Hwan filed appeals. At an appeal trial on May 14, Kang Ji Hwan said, “I sincerely apologize to the people who have been hurt because of me.” He added, “I worked hard without rest in the past to show a good image of myself, and I’m so embarrassed by my image now.”

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