Former Taekwondo Association Director Sentenced to Prison After Over 10 Years for Sexually Assaulting Young Disciples

Me Too / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Lim Ju-hyung] A former director of the Korea Taekwondo Association, who was accused of sexually assaulting young students, has been sentenced to prison more than 10 years after the crimes.

The Criminal Division 12 of Daejeon District Court (Presiding Judge Lee Chang-kyung) sentenced Mr. A, who was charged with rape and death, to 8 years in prison on the 17th. The court also ordered Mr. A to wear an electronic location tracking device for 10 years.

The court stated, "Some victims still suffer from trauma to the extent that they hold their breath when they see the Taekwondo academy vehicle, even though more than 10 years have passed," and added, "There is a need for severe punishment."

However, the court recognized only the crimes against 3 to 4 victims as guilty, and dismissed the remaining charges due to the statute of limitations (10 years) being completed.

Mr. A is accused of sexually assaulting or molesting minor students for over seven years from 2002 to 2008 while working as a Taekwondo instructor.

At that time, he used excuses such as measuring weight or checking poomsae to assault the students or touch parts of their bodies.

Mr. A's crimes were revealed in 2018 when about 10 victims came forward with so-called 'Me Too' accusations after reaching adulthood. Subsequently, the victims' coalition, with support from the Korea Sexual Violence Crisis Center, filed a complaint against Mr. A with the Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office.

One victim explained at the time, "The reason the related facts were not exposed for a long time was because decision-making was completely suppressed within the special power structure of the sports team."