"‘We Were Lovers in a Past Life’: 50-Year-Old Man Sentenced to 13 Years for Sexually Assaulting His Biological Daughter"

Supreme Court. Photo by Asia Economy DB

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Soyoung] A man in his 50s who was tried on charges of repeatedly sexually assaulting his biological daughter and installing cameras to monitor her private life has been sentenced to 13 years in prison.

On the 25th, the Supreme Court's 3rd Division (Presiding Judge Min Yusook) announced that it upheld the original sentence of 13 years imprisonment in the appeal trial of Mr. A, who was indicted for violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Crimes, etc. (rape within family relations) and other charges.

Mr. A was prosecuted for repeatedly sexually assaulting and forcibly molesting his biological daughter B (22) from November 2018 to February 2019.

Mr. A demanded sexual relations from B, who had a skin condition, using the absurd excuse, "If you go to the hospital, they won't treat you like a person," and "I will catch the disease and find medicine for you." It was also reported that he said, "A powerful shaman said we were lovers deeply in love two generations ago."

Despite B's strong refusal, Mr. A threatened her by self-harm or overpowered her by force to commit sexual assault, according to the investigation.

Additionally, Mr. A installed cameras in B's rented room to spy on her private life and used a pre-installed location tracking application on her mobile phone to find her whereabouts when contact was lost.

In the first trial, the court recognized Mr. A's guilt based on B's consistent victim testimony and recorded phone calls in which Mr. A explicitly demanded sexual acts from B, sentencing him to 13 years in prison.

During the trial, B submitted a petition and a letter expressing no desire for punishment, but considering that Mr. A showed no remorse and attempted to persuade his daughter, the court found it difficult to sincerely accept B's position of not wanting punishment.

The court explained regarding B's letter expressing no desire for punishment, "Considering the testimony of B's mother, who complained of economic difficulties due to Mr. A's absence, it appears that the isolation and guilt caused by the economic hardship resulting from Mr. A's punishment were too much to bear."

However, the court stated, "The nature of the crime is so heinous that it is difficult to compare with other sexual violence cases," but also noted that it is difficult to definitively conclude a high risk of reoffending, thus dismissing the request for electronic monitoring device attachment.

The second trial court, based on Mr. A's prior sexual offense record, sentenced him to 13 years imprisonment and additionally ordered 20 years of electronic monitoring device attachment.

Mr. A's side claimed innocence in the second trial, citing that B confessed the victimization to her mother but later denied it as "all lies." B revealed that this was a lie forced by Mr. A, and the court sided with B.

The Supreme Court also unanimously upheld the second trial's ruling.

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