A Long-Awaited Verdict: Former AOA Member Kwon Min-A Shares That Her Assailant Has Been Found Guilty
In a deeply emotional and courageous update, Former AOA member Kwon Min-A (also known simply as Mina) revealed that the individual who sexually assaulted her during her middle school years has officially been found guilty by an appeals court.
Taking to her Instagram account on Tuesday, the K-pop star-turned-actress shared the final outcome of a grueling four-year legal battle. While legal technicalities regarding the statute of limitations mean the perpetrator will avoid severe criminal punishment, Kwon emphasized that the formal recognition of guilt brings immense closure and serves as a vital victory for her healing journey.
The Court’s Ruling and the Legal Technicality Explained
The case centers around an incident that occurred nearly 18 years ago, when Kwon was still a student. The former AOA member Kwon Min-A first went public with the trauma during a live broadcast in March 2021, explaining that she had remained silent for over a decade out of fear. She officially took legal action in December 2021, seeking charges of rape causing injury.
In her recent post, Kwon broken down the appeals court’s complex verdict:
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The Rape Charge: Upheld and proven guilty by the court.
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The Injury Charge: Dismissed by the court.
Because the injury charge was not sustained, the case fell under the standard 10-year statute of limitations for rape, rather than the extended 15-year window allocated for rape causing injury. As a result, the court cannot enforce a significant physical sentence.
“Guilty is What Matters”—A Powerful Message to Fellow Survivors
Despite the lack of a prison sentence due to elapsed time, Kwon expressed immense satisfaction with the court’s acknowledgment of the truth.
“From my perspective as the victim, what mattered was whether [the offender was found] guilty or not guilty,” Kwon shared transparently with her followers. “The fact that the offender was found guilty of one of the charges carries tremendous meaning for me. Since it has been revealed that [the offender] is a bad person, I think I can be satisfied with the current results.”
Looking back on the immense pressure of revisiting her past, she added that the last four years spent fighting in court were not entirely filled with pain, as they led to validation.
Closing her statement, the former idol turned her attention toward helping others who might still be suffering in silence. Noting how much society’s perception has evolved since she was a student, she offered a beacon of hope to the public: “I hope the victims don’t blame themselves or try to hide, and I want to tell them to be courageous and speak up for themselves.”
