WARNING: Explicit themes (i.e. mentions or details of sexual abuse/rape) are present within this article and moreso within the hyperlinked articles. Please read with caution.
Back in June, a South Korean woman named Lee Jung Hee took it upon herself to write about the horrifying sexual abuse perpetrated by her pastor husband, extended family and strangers. Her two sons, aged 17 and 13, also sought justice against their father, accusing him of forcing them into 10 years of prostitution. They have even gone as far as accusing an entire village of people for being "sex-crazed."
A translation of the video segment, courtesy of r/korea on Reddit.com.
(Note: "ajosshi"/"ahjusshi" is the romanization of a Korean word that refers to a middle-aged man. It is also the equivalent of "Mister" when speaking to/about a man one does not know well.)
The tale sparked outrage in Korea and other countries. Countless blog cafes and petitions were created to help support the victims and the hashtag #HelpLeeJungHee was a worldwide trend on Twitter. You may read full details about this story through IAmKoream.com here and, for further reference, translations of Lee's posts are available on a separate Weebly blog here.
However, through the Korean news-documentary series "We Want To Know The Truth," it has become apparent that this entire story may be a heavily-fabricated hoax powered by a greedy shaman. A summation of the points made through this particular two-episode special investigation, as well as a more in-depth synopsis, is provided as a feature article here.
In addition to these points, IAmKoream.com reports that Lee is suspected of child abuse; there is the argument that she "brainwashed" her sons with her story of sexual assault and have not sent them to school since their entrance into Korea last year. Thus, it was ruled that her presence is "harmful to her sons' mental health" and, until further notice, must keep at least 100 meters away from the hospital the boys are residing in.
It is no surprise that the public has reacted with a lot of shock and disbelief, as well as severe disappointment in how someone can lie about an experience such as rape.
[+538, -19] I feel so empty and ridiculous... the family used the interest of the people in a manipulative way.. I feel so stupid for believing in the mother and her sons.
[+140, -12] Successfully scammed the entire country
[+90, -5] How could the mother use her own kids to scam people like this... I believed her without a doubt for the sake of the kids. This is ridiculous.
[+47, -30] Why are people hating on the netizens who supported them;; Of course everyone believed it to be true because there's a chance that it could be. There's no reason to hate.
Direct translations of netizen comments, courtesy of Netizenbuzz.blogspot.ca.
There have been no other major updates since the broadcast and, judging by the comments shown above, the case may end on a negative note for the mother and her children. Perhaps the most important thing to take away from this is that we should not focus on who did what wrong, but we should think long and hard about the "why?" behind all of this.What do you think? Should people still support Lee and her sons, or should the trio face repercussions for their supposed deception?(Writer's note: I have tried to avoid including any personal opinion for the sake of presenting an unbiased viewpoint. If my words show or imply something otherwise, please feel free to contact me or comment on this article to express your concern).
