S. Korean jury acquits Kyrgyz man in rape case

SEOUL, Jan. 20 (Yonhap) -- A Seoul jury that included two interpreters on Tuesday
acquitted a 24-year-old Kyrgyz man of raping a South Korean woman.
The district court case marked the first time for interpreters to take part in a
trial since the country introduced a jury system, similar to that of the United
States, last year.
"We found that there was not enough evidence to justify the charges," said Chang
Jin-hoon, a senior judge at the Seoul Seobu District Court.
The Kyrgyz man, whose name was withheld, was charged with attempting to assault
and rape a 25-year-old South Korean woman after luring her to his home in Seoul
in September last year.
The jury said they found the defendant not guilty due to insufficient evidence
and the unreliability of the statements given by the woman, who is believed to
have willingly followed the suspect and agreed to have sex with him.
An official for the prosecution said it will decide whether to appeal after an
in-house discussion on the case.
(END)