Police Investigate Pastor Accused of Sexually Harassing North Korean Defector Youth... Travel Ban Imposed

A pastor known for supporting the defection of North Korean residents for over 20 years has been accused of sexually assaulting defector youth.

On the 3rd, the Women and Youth Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced that Pastor Cheon (67) was booked on charges of violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse and was banned from leaving the country.

Cheon is suspected of sexually assaulting students at a boarding alternative school for defector youth, where he has served as principal since 2018. On the 20th of last month, the police received complaints from three victims and conducted a search of the school located in Gwanak-gu, Seoul. The police have secured and are analyzing CCTV footage from the dormitory.

According to the police, the total number of sexual crime victims is eight, including the three who filed complaints. The police plan to summon Cheon for questioning soon.

Since 1999, Cheon has been helping North Korean residents defect and has been introduced in foreign media as the "Schindler of Asia."

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