In March 2002, Kim was taken into custody on charges of sexually harassing a
subway passenger.
After his arrest, he was interrogated for several hours by police and then had
to deal with legal battles over the next eight months to prove his innocence.
The Supreme Court exonerated him.
He filed a civil lawsuit against the state, demanding the government compensate
him and his family for psychological suffering they sustained during the legal
proceedings.
``We think it was illegal for police to arrest Kim because there was no clear
evidence indicating he actually committed sexual harassment. He is entitled to
compensation from the government as his reputation has suffered severe damage
due to investigators' misconduct,'' the court said.
It ruled the government must pay Kim 10 million won and his wife 1 million won
to compensate for their mental suffering.
The ruling sends a strong signal to law enforcement authorities, who have
recently taken a tough stance against sex crimes, that they should take
necessary precautions and follow proper investigative procedures not to
infringe on the rights of the innocent.
Law enforcement authorities have been getting tough on sex criminals after a
recent series of sexual assaults and harassments.
In February, people were shocked by a case in which an 11-year-old elementary
schoolgirl in Seoul was sexually assaulted and killed by a 53-year-old man with
a record of nine sex offenses.
A 23-year-old soldier was also arrested for sexually assaulting seven
elementary schoolgirls since 2004 in Pochon, Kyonggi Province, while a
32-year-old man was arrested for raping 24 women and taking money from them
since 2004.
Alleged sexual violence occurred even in the political arena with Rep. Choi
Yeon-hee of the Grand National Party (GNP) having allegedly sexually harassed a
female DongA Ilbo reporter during a drinking session with key GNP post holders
and other newspaper reporters.
The 62-year-old lawmaker claimed to be drunk and that he mistook her for the
owner of the bar. GNP leader Park Geun-hye apologized for the incident.
The incident virtually ended Choi's political career as his reputation has been severely damaged by the scandal.
