Filipino Boarding House Owner Sentenced in First Trial for Dozens of Assaults on Teenage Korean Exchange Student Allegedly as Discipline

Man Running Boarding House in the Philippines
Assaulted 13-Year-Old 23 Times Locally
Court: "Consistent Excuses... Sentenced to Prison"

A court sentenced a man who operated a boarding house in the Philippines and repeatedly assaulted a teenage Korean boarder with a baseball bat to prison.

On the 2nd, Choi Chi-bong, a judge of the Criminal Division 1 at the Uijeongbu District Court Namyangju Branch, announced that he sentenced Mr. A (53), who was charged with habitual child abuse, to 1 year and 6 months in prison, 80 hours of child abuse treatment program completion, and a 5-year employment ban at child-related institutions.

Mr. A is accused of physically and emotionally abusing a boarding student, Mr. B (then 13 years old), 23 times from November 2019 to July 2022 while running a boarding house in the Philippines. Mr. B’s mother noticed that his behavior was unnatural after returning from studying abroad and, while asking about his study abroad life, learned that he had been abused and filed a complaint against Mr. A. Standing in court, Mr. A denied the charges, claiming that the assaults were done "as a form of discipline."

However, the court did not accept Mr. A’s claims. Judge Choi ruled guilty based on the consistency and specificity of Mr. B’s testimony, objective evidence of harm confirmed in photos taken after the abuse, and Mr. A’s own admission of punishing the victim with scolding and physical punishment using a baseball bat.

Judge Choi stated, "Although the defendant is a first-time offender and there are petitions for leniency from those around him, and he deposited 5 million won as a criminal bond for the victim, which are favorable circumstances, considering that he frequently verbally abused and physically punished the victim using drumsticks and baseball bats, continues to stick to excuses, and that the victim’s mental and physical damages have not been addressed despite counseling, a prison sentence is inevitable," explaining the reasons for sentencing.