SEOUL — A U.S. soldier will appeal his four-year prison sentence for raping a 66-year-old South Korean woman in January, officials confirmed.
Defense attorney Jin Hyo-guen said he met with Pvt. Geronimo Ramirez on Monday and that the soldier had decided to appeal the sentence Seoul Central District Court judge Lee Han-ju gave him Friday.
Jin said Ramirez was writing a second letter of apology to the victim, whom he raped twice, forcibly sodomized and beat early on Jan. 14 after he spent the night drinking in the Hongdae district.
The soldier pleaded guilty to the crime but claimed he was so drunk that he didn't remember anything of the attack.
Jin said Ramirez has been unable to contact the victim or her family so he can offer some sort of financial settlement that will help him earn a reduced sentence in the appeals process — a practice in the Korean legal system.
Ramirez is a member of the 2nd Infantry Division’s Company E, 2nd Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment.
