As promised, prosecutors in Seoul have obtained an unusually speedy imprisonment of the American soldier accused of the sexual assault of a teenage girl. The indictment is expected sometime on Friday.

Calls for the nation to renegotiate the Status of Forces Agreement continue in some quarters, probably in part because the media continue to make it seem as if prosecutors had to “demand” that American authorities turn over the accused, which they did not (the alleged crime was committed off-duty, thus Seoul has primary jurisdiction).

Original article in Korean is at this link.

On October 6 the US soldier who is accused of sexually assaulted a female teenage student in Dongducheon was placed in jail in Seoul.

That afternoon Judge Lee Gwang-jin of the Uijeongbu District Courts’ first criminal division carried out the arrest warrant previously issued for 21-yeay-old Private K of the US Forces Korea Second Infantry Division on charges of sexual assault.

Pvt. K arrived at the jail in the Poil-dong area of Uiwang at 9:55 that morning, having been brought there by military police in the Second Infantry Division.

Prosecutors plan to indict Pvt. K within 24 hours of his imprisonment, and Pvt. K will stay imprisoned during the trial.

On October 1 prosecutors, having received an arrest warrant for Pvt. K and communicating through the Ministry of Justice, demanded that the Americans turn over the criminal.

Pvt. K is accused of entering a goshitel in Dongducheon at approximately 4am on September 24 last while extremely intoxicated, then using a weapon to threaten 18-year-old A as she was watching television, sexually assault her, perform other cruel acts, and then stealing 5,000 won.

Prosecutors were referred the case by police on September 28, and on the next day, in a very unusual move, Pvt. K was called in for investigation and the arrest warrant applied for the next day.