'Exorcism Ritual Leads to Death of Teen' Shaman Says "I Prayed and Even Sent My Brother to University" [Seocho-dong Legal Story]

Shaman: I sent one of the bereaved families to university.

Judge: You mean you paid the university tuition?

Shaman: No. I sent them to university through prayer.

Recently, the first appeal trial of shaman A (60) was held in a courtroom on the 3rd floor of the Seoul Central District Court. He is accused of causing the death of a teenage girl during a so-called 'exorcism ritual.'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the prosecution on the 14th, A received a request from the mother of B, who had a level 1 intellectual disability and could not walk alone, asking him to perform a ritual for her daughter. On June 15, 2015, during the daytime exorcism ritual, A forcibly induced vomiting for 15 minutes by putting his hand into B’s mouth and pressing her chest, saying he needed to expel the possessed spirit. B lost consciousness due to respiratory distress and died the next morning after receiving emergency treatment at the hospital. The hospital determined the cause of death as 'respiratory arrest due to asphyxiation.'

A was prosecuted, and the first trial sentenced him to two years in prison for gross negligence causing death. The first trial court explained the ruling, saying, "The defendant recklessly continued dangerous acts on the victim’s body without medical knowledge, and despite the possibility of a fatal accident, took no precautions," and "Due to the defendant’s serious negligence, a tragic life was lost, but he shows no remorse and instead blames the victim’s side."

The prosecutor appealed, saying "the sentence is too light," and A appealed, claiming "the facts were misjudged."

A’s lawyer argued in the appeal court that "the bereaved family filed the complaint against A only five years after the incident, and their statements are exaggerated and unreliable," and "A could not have foreseen the asphyxiation."

When the judge asked A, "Is inducing vomiting like this a usual method in exorcism rituals?" A replied, "No," and "This is the first time an accident happened during a ritual." He added, "I usually comforted the child with my heart, and when the child’s condition improved, the mother asked me to perform the ritual. It was not my coercion."

He also said, "If I had actually treated the child harshly, the mother would not have stayed silent beside me."

He claimed to have already provided various supports to the bereaved family. He stated, "In 2016, the child’s mother came to find me praying in the mountains and asked me to open a restaurant, so I opened one immediately." He also said, "Even though the deceased child’s older brother had poor school grades, I prayed and sent him to university."

The Seoul Central District Court Criminal Appeal Division 1-2 (Presiding Judge Kim Su-gyeong) in charge of the appeal trial plans to hold the second appeal hearing on June 20 to hear further arguments from both the prosecution and A’s side. Meanwhile, the bereaved family is pursuing a separate civil lawsuit against A, demanding 140 million won for exorcism ritual fees paid over four years and 200 million won in damages.