공적 영역의 도덕적 타락과 정치적 사법 리스크의 서늘한 공존 > K-wave Trends

Recently, an incident that occurred in a women's restroom in a commercial building in Gwanak-gu, Seoul shocked citizens. Mr. Kim, a 21-year-old man who worked as a social worker, committed a bold crime by breaking into the women's restroom seven times over a three-month period starting last January and installing an ultra-small camera. He went beyond simple illegal filming and did not hesitate to commit a malicious crime by spreading capsaicin, which gives a spicy taste, to the toilet paper used by the victims. Mr. Kim, who was caught after the victims complained of extreme pain, initially made the excuse that it was glue, which was the tool of the crime, but after a detailed analysis by the National Institute of Forensic Science, it was clearly revealed that it was capsaicin. The prosecution arrested and indicted him on charges of violating the Sexual Violence Punishment Act and causing bodily harm, judging that the nature of the crime was very serious.

The reason why this case is causing more public outrage is because of the meticulousness of the crime and the perpetrator's inhumane attitude toward the victims. It was revealed that Mr. Kim had used his experience working part-time at the shopping mall in the past to understand the structure of the building, and even used the route search history of a map app to plan the crime. In particular, the fact that the victim was made to suffer in the process of collecting the camera installed for illegal filming suggests that the intention was to cause actual harm to the victim beyond the simple purpose of satisfying sexual desires. The prosecution substantiated the charges based on crime scenes captured in secured CCTV and confiscated cameras, and plans to hold the suspect severely legally responsible for his actions of turning a public place into a crime scene while serving in public service.

Meanwhile, in the political world, the sensitive issue of ‘special prosecution for fabricated indictments’ emerged as a hot potato through President Lee Jae-myung’s press conference on the first anniversary of his inauguration. Through a press conference, President Lee made clear his position that there was a need to find out the truth about the various complaints and accusations surrounding him. He advocated the principle that “if there is a mistake, correct it, and if there is no mistake, just let it go,” emphasizing the need for clear judgment based on the law and common sense. In particular, the power to cancel indictments and the large-scale investigative staff included in the Special Prosecutor Act proposed by the Democratic Party are issues so destructive that they can shake up the political situation. President Lee acknowledged that although it is common for the joint investigation headquarters of the prosecution and police under his command to conduct the investigation, considering the distrust of the public and the opposition party, a neutral special prosecutor may be more persuasive.

The president's comments demonstrate a complex calculus between his convictions about judicial justice and political reality. He internally stated that forming a large-scale special investigation unit under his command could be a much more efficient and honest choice, but showed a flexible attitude, accepting the need for a neutral special investigation demanded by the opposition party and the public. This can be interpreted as a determination to overcome judicial risks head-on, as well as confidence in making a decision based on the results of the special investigation. However, the special prosecution bill promoted by the opposition party includes all key cases directly connected to the president himself, such as the Ssangbangwool remittance suspicions to North Korea and the Daejang-dong and Wirye new town development projects. Therefore, if a special prosecution is formed in the future, there is a high possibility that the political situation will fall into a vortex where one cannot foresee the future.

If we take these incidents together, we can see that moral hazard and political conflict in our society have reached their peak. A case where a young man's twisted sexual desires in his 20s destroyed the daily lives of others, and a situation where the nation's highest ruler had to discuss the extreme measure of a special prosecutor to prove his judicial legitimacy, all show a dark side of our times. The law should be the last bastion to protect the weak and maintain social order, but our society is currently weighed down by the two weights of everyday crime and political and judicial struggles. In the end, the mature rule of law spirit of revealing the truth through judicial procedures and accepting the results will be the only key to putting this chaos to rest.