Active as a Private Tutor and Children's Ministry Teacher at Church
A case has emerged in which a male church deacon in his 50s, old enough to be the father of a woman in her 20s with an intellectual disability, continuously sent her sexually harassing messages.
On the 22nd, JTBC's 'Case Manager' reported the story of Ms. A, a woman in her 50s living in Chungnam, and her 25-year-old daughter who has a level 3 intellectual disability. Ms. A explained that her daughter attends a vocational school and does not have major issues with daily life or communication. Recently, Ms. A received a call from her daughter's vocational school teacher saying, "It seems there is a problem with your daughter," and the teacher advised her to check her daughter's cellphone. Surprised, Ms. A checked her daughter's phone as instructed. On the phone, there were dozens of obscene messages from Mr. B, a church deacon who has been attending the same church as her daughter since elementary school for over 10 years.
Mr. B is a man in his 50s, married with children. He works as a private tutor and also serves as a children's ministry teacher at the church. Among church members, he was known as a person who "speaks well and is very kind." However, the text messages Mr. B sent to the daughter contained shocking statements such as "You excited me," "I am engaging in obscene acts," "I have been starving too much," and "You should try doing this while watching obscene videos." Mr. B also instructed her to delete the messages by saying, "This is a secret, so leave the chat room and come back." When the daughter clearly expressed her refusal by saying, "It makes me uncomfortable. I don't like it, and if you continue, it could be considered sexual harassment," Mr. B responded defiantly, saying, "Hearing that you are uncomfortable sounds quite unpleasant."
The initial reason Mr. B sent messages to the daughter was after they became friends on social networking services (SNS). Since Mr. B was a church deacon she had known since childhood, the daughter accepted his friend request, and she even met him once after accepting his invitation to "have tea." During their first meeting, Mr. B did not say much to her, but from then on, he began sending one-sided, highly explicit obscene messages.
Ms. A said, "Since he works in the education field, I worry there might be other hidden victims." She added, "My daughter keeps thinking about those messages even during class, feeling so ashamed and distressed that she feels like she might go crazy. She gathered courage and reported this." She also stated, "We plan to file a complaint with the police," but expressed fear of retaliation since Mr. B lives only about 10 minutes away.
Meanwhile, the obscene messages sent by Mr. B may fall under the Violation of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment, etc. of Sexual Crimes (Indecent Acts Using Communication Media). Anyone who transmits words, sounds, writings, pictures, videos, or objects that cause sexual shame or disgust to another person through communication media such as phone, text, or computer can face imprisonment of up to two years or a fine of up to 20 million won.
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