Broadcaster Joo Byung-jin reflected on his past case of being falsely accused of rape, revealing that it has continued to torment him until the day he dies.
On the episode aired on the 5th, Joo Byung-jin mentioned his detention in 2000 on suspicion of rape while appearing on tvN Story's 'What's the Point of Leaving It?', recalling the suffering he endured at the time.
He stated, "Destroying someone else's life for one's own desires is a great sin. It would be better to take their life than to ruin it, because doing so forces them to live in darkness for such a long period." He further added, "The pain is indescribable. The wound in my heart will never heal," revealing that the scars from that time remain even after a long passage of time.
Previously, Joo Byung-jin was detained in November 2000 on suspicion of raping and injuring Ms. A, a woman in her 20s, inside a car parked in the parking lot of a hotel in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. The two had met at a drinking party.
Joo Byung-jin denied the charges, claiming that the sexual act was consensual. In March 2001, the first-instance court sentenced him to two years and six months in prison with a four-year suspended sentence.
However, during the appeal trial, testimonies and circumstances emerged that contradicted Ms. A's claims. A junior of Ms. A testified that she had helped fabricate injuries by slapping Ms. A on the cheek immediately after the incident. It was also revealed that out of the 200th million won settlement money Ms. A received from Joo Byung-jin, 40 million won was distributed to two witnesses who provided testimony favorable to her.
Ms. A had initially been identified as a female university student, but this too was not true. She had been expelled from the university she attended and was working as an employee at a room salon.
In November 2001, the appellate court overturned the first-instance ruling, finding it difficult to believe the testimonies of Ms. A and the witnesses and that there was insufficient evidence to support the charges, and declared Joo Byung-jin not guilty.
The Supreme Court issued a final judgment dismissing the prosecution in July 2002, accepting the determination that there was no evidence to support the injury portion of the case. At the time, rape was a crime requiring a victim's complaint for prosecution, and since Ms. A had already withdrawn her complaint, the court determined that the conditions for proceeding with the trial were not met.
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