Former Judo Coach Who Sexually Assaulted 16-Year-Old Student 20 Times... Sentenced to 6 Years and 5 Months in Second Trial

Gwangju High Court / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Yeon-ju] A former judo coach who was on trial for the 'Shin Yuyong sexual assault case' and who filed a false accusation lawsuit against the victim was sentenced to prison again in the appellate court.

On the 4th, the Jeonju Branch of the Gwangju High Court (Chief Judge Hwang Jin-gu) dismissed the appeals of both the prosecution and Mr. A, who was charged with violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse (rape) and false accusation, and upheld the original sentence of 6 years and 5 months imprisonment.

The court also maintained the original ruling requiring 80 hours of participation in a sexual violence treatment program, disclosure of personal information for 5 years, and a 10-year employment ban at institutions related to children and adolescents.

The court stated, "Although the defendant admitted to the crime and expressed remorse during the appellate trial, the crime is very serious as he exploited a young student who trusted and relied on him as a sexual object while pursuing his dream of becoming a judo athlete despite a difficult family environment."

It continued, "Considering comprehensively that the victim likely suffered physical and psychological trauma from this crime and had to give up her dream of becoming a judo athlete, that the victim had to endure secondary damage by appearing as a witness in court while the defendant denied the charges in the first trial, and that forgiveness has not been granted to date, the original sentence is neither too lenient nor too harsh."

Mr. A was arrested and indicted on charges of raping and forcibly molesting Shin, a first-year high school student, in the judo coach's office at a high school in Gochang-gun, Jeonbuk, between July and September 2011.

Previously, Shin revealed through the media and social networking services (SNS) that she was sexually assaulted about 20 times by Mr. A from 2011 to 2015.

Mr. A partially denied the charges, claiming that the relationship with Shin was consensual. He was also indicted on charges of false accusation for filing a complaint against Shin with the police on May 16, 2018, while he was in custody and on trial.

The first trial sentenced him to prison, judging the nature of the crime to be serious, and both Mr. A and the prosecution appealed, citing inappropriate sentencing. While Mr. A claimed in the first trial that they were in a romantic relationship, he admitted to all charges in the appellate trial.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.