New developments have emerged in the long-running case involving a female supporting actress who was allegedly sexually assaulted by 12 men more than 20 years ago, as a public petition calling for a comprehensive investigation has now reached South Korea’s National Assembly.
According to Koreaboo on January 13, the National Assembly’s electronic petition platform announced that a petition titled “Request for a National Assembly Hearing and Special Prosecutor Investigation into the Gang Rape of a Supporting Actress” has met the required conditions for review and has officially been submitted to the Public Administration and Security Committee.
Under current regulations, if a petition receives more than 50,000 public endorsements, it is forwarded to the relevant standing committee of the National Assembly. The committee then reviews whether the issue should be discussed in a plenary session, ultimately deciding whether to adopt or reject the petition. In this case, the petition surpassed the 50,000-signature threshold in less than two weeks.
In the petition, the initiator recounts the tragic circumstances of the case: “The victim, who worked as an extra, was raped and sexually assaulted by 12 individuals including the head of the extras casting team in 2004. However, the case was never properly investigated due to a lack of effective law enforcement action. A thorough investigation is required into the circumstances that led the victim to withdraw her complaint. Therefore, we demand a National Assembly hearing and the appointment of a special prosecutor.”
From August to November 2004, a Korean graduate student identified as Yang Sora was allegedly subjected to gang rape and sexual harassment by 12 men associated with a film production crew while working part-time as an extra. In December of the same year, Yang filed a criminal complaint with the police, but all accused individuals denied the allegations.
During the investigation, police were reportedly responsible for secondary victimization, allegedly making inappropriate remarks, including asking Yang to “draw the shapes of the perpetrators’ genitalia.” Police also allegedly arranged confrontational situations that forced her to face the accused directly during questioning.
After receiving threats from the suspects, Yang withdrew her complaint in 2006. In 2009, she died by suicide. Her younger sister, Yang So Jung, later also took her own life, reportedly overwhelmed by guilt for having introduced her sister to the film crew job. Their father, who had pre-existing health conditions, passed away from a cerebral hemorrhage after suffering severe psychological trauma following the deaths of his two daughters.
After years of enduring profound grief, the victims’ mother filed a civil lawsuit against the 12 men in 2014. However, the court ruled against her, citing the expiration of the three-year statute of limitations for civil claims. Undeterred, she continued to bring the case to public attention through solo protests and other actions. Although the accused individuals filed defamation lawsuits against her, the court found her not guilty. Since then, she has publicly disclosed the identities and current whereabouts of the men through her YouTube channel.
The case once again shocked the Korean public when it was featured on KBS2’s investigative program Smoking Gun in July 2025, reigniting calls for accountability and justice.
Sources: TP
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