South Korean court upholds prison term for church teacher

The Suwon High Court has upheld a six-year prison sentence for a church teacher in his 30s who sexually assaulted a teenage student dozens of times. The defendant, identified as A, was convicted of violating laws regarding the protection of children and adolescents.

Between August 2019 and June 2020, A exploited the vulnerability of a 17-year-old student who relied heavily on the church due to a lack of parental care. Prosecutors found that A used his position of authority to emotionally manipulate the victim before committing the offenses.

During the initial trial, the defendant denied the charges, claiming the relationship was consensual. However, the court rejected this defense after reviewing the victim's diaries, which detailed the trauma, fear, and psychological distress caused by the abuse.

In the appellate stage, the defendant admitted to the crimes and deposited 30 million won for the victim. Despite this, the court dismissed the appeal, noting that the victim refused the money and continues to seek severe punishment. The court cited the egregious nature of the crimes, the frequency of the offenses, and the duration of the abuse as reasons for maintaining the original sentence.