Church and Community Child Center Minor 'Habitual Molestation'... 70-Year-Old Pastor Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison Confirmed

Court: "Pastoral Authority Used to Exploit Victims' Difficulties in Resisting, Leading to Repeated Offenses"

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Kyung-jun] A pastor in his 70s who habitually molested students at his church and a local children's center has been sentenced to seven years in prison.

The Supreme Court's First Division (Presiding Justice No Tae-ak) announced on the 14th that it upheld the lower court's ruling sentencing Pastor A (71), who was indicted on charges including rape of a minor under the Youth Protection Act, to seven years in prison.

A was charged with habitual sexual molestation, including engaging in similar sexual acts with students at the church and children's center he operated since 2008, and was sentenced to seven years in prison in the first trial. Investigations revealed that A committed the crimes against minors aged 14 to 17 from disadvantaged family backgrounds.

Although A denied the charges during the trial, the first trial court found him guilty based on consistent testimonies from the victims regarding the details and methods of the molestation, the structure of the crime scenes, the defendant's words and actions before and after the crimes, and the emotions felt at the time, sentencing him to seven years in prison.

The appellate court also upheld the first trial's judgment, stating, "He repeatedly committed the crimes by exploiting his authority as a pastor and the victims' circumstances, which made it difficult for them to resist or seek help." During the appeal process, A's side requested an opportunity to verify a physical characteristic that was visibly noticeable to anyone on the victims' bodies, sparking controversy over 'secondary victimization.'

The Supreme Court also agreed with the lower courts' judgments.

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