The Knucklehead of the Day award

Today's winner is Cheongju District Court Judge Oh Jun-geun. He gets the award for the following-

A court handed down suspended jail terms to four family members who repeatedly raped a teenage relative who suffered from an intellectual disability.

The Cheongju District Court Thursday sentenced an 87-year-old grandfather and two uncles of a 16-year-old girl to four-year suspended prison terms for sexually assaulting and raping the girl for the last seven years. Another uncle received a three-year suspended jail term.

The court acknowledged that their crime was ``sinful'' as they used the young girl, who is their family member, to satisfy their sexual desires. But it gave the suspended terms, saying, ``The accused have fostered the girl in her parents' place. Considering her disability, she will also need their care and help in living in the future.''

The court added it took the accused people's old age and illness into consideration.

Citizens strongly denounced the ruling, saying the punishments were too lenient for the grave crime. Internet users said it is absurd to release them to ``take care of her,'' as she needs help from others, not from rapists. They also said those committing such a crime do not deserve consideration regarding old age or illnesses.

Some bloggers are collecting signatures to oust the judge who made the ruling. The prosecution also decided to appeal. ``One of them even has a previous conviction for rape but was given a suspended term. The ruling is unacceptable,'' a prosecutor said..

The sentencings aren't unacceptable, they are an outrage. Whoever the judge is(If I knew a name, I'd crown him personally as the Knucklehead), gave a rape victim back to her attackers. That is simply insane, but sadly predictable. For two reasons.

1- The South Korean justice system is a joke. Case in point, the perpetrators of the Sampoong Department store collapse got under 15 years for causing 500 people to die.

A decade ago an American who was traveling with his Korean wife on a subway, gets attacked. Who faced criminal charges? The American of course.

2- Korean cultural beliefs and children. There have been over a million children adopted from Korea since the end of the Korean war. Why? A single mother who for whatever reason is no longer with her father, faces a near impossible task of finding a husband. In Korean culture family bloodlines are very important. That's why children other than infants are rarely adopted. The new child's parents would have difficulty passing he or she off as their own. Those children who aren't adopted spend their lives in conditions that would turn most of my readers stomachs.

Neither of these excuse what this court did, it just helps to explain the insanity. Therefore I name Cheongju District Court Judge Cheongju District Court Judge Oh Jun-geun today's Knucklehead of the Day.

Hat tip- Brian in Jeollanam-do via Marmot's Hole. I must thank thank Brian for helping me learn the individual Judge's name.