Public battle over S Korea rape claim

An Australian woman who was allegedly drugged and raped during a night out in Seoul is now involved in a public battle with South Korean police.

Australian teacher Airdre Mattner says she was drugged and raped after her drink was spiked in Seoul

Airdre Mattner, who waived her right to anonymity, says she was attacked after an organised pub crawl last September. She says police were dismissive and did not perform essential tests. She is now raising funds for further legal action.

Police in Seoul defended their actions, rejecting her story as "one-sided".


The officer in charge of the investigation made the comments directly to South Korean media. Ms Mattner said the information provided to reporters differed from what she had previously been told.

Ms Mattner said she attended a hospital with an attached police unit that specialised in sexual violence cases on the day after the alleged incident.

She felt officers from Seoul Metropolitan Police's Yongsan Police Station placed undue emphasis on the amount of alcohol she had consumed. She said they also emphasised that she had gone out alone, despite the fact that the pub crawl was an organised event.

Ms Mattner said she had only consumed three drinks and was not drunk when she started feeling strange. She believes her drink was spiked. She said she had a recollection of travelling in a taxi with a man and woke up naked in a hotel room.