"Pastor Forcibly Molests Cousin Unable to Control Male Hormones"

1st Trial, 3 Years Imprisonment with Actual Sentence and Court Detention
"No Victim Agreement and Petition for Severe Punishment"

A pastor in his 40s who forcibly molested a parishioner and his cousin in his office, claiming he "could not control his male hormones," was sentenced to prison and taken into custody in court.

According to the legal community on the 27th, the Criminal Division 1 of the Chuncheon District Court Wonju Branch (Chief Judge Lee Su-woong) sentenced Mr. A (41), who was indicted without detention on charges of violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Crimes (forcible molestation by a relative), to three years in prison and detained him in court.

Court. [Photo by Yonhap News]

He was also ordered to complete 40 hours of a sexual violence treatment program and was banned from working in facilities related to children, adolescents, and persons with disabilities for five years.

Mr. A, a church pastor, was tried on charges of forcibly molesting Ms. B (25, female), a parishioner and his cousin, by pulling her close and putting his hand inside her shirt to touch her body while they were sitting face-to-face in the pastor’s office at his church around 2 p.m. on June 23 last year.

Despite Ms. B’s refusal, saying "Why are you doing this? I will report you," Mr. A admitted through the indictment that he continued the molestation, stating, "I have a lot of male hormones and sometimes cannot control myself. I always wanted to touch her."

The court said, "The victim appeared to attend church faithfully and respected the defendant, who is a pastor, but the defendant abused this personal trust to commit the crime, which is highly condemnable."

It added, "Considering the circumstances and methods of the crime, the nature of the offense is very serious. The defendant showed no intention to settle by making the victim return the criminal deposit for compensation, and there is a petition for severe punishment of the defendant, so the sentence was determined accordingly."

Mr. A appealed the first trial verdict, and the appeal trial is underway at the Chuncheon Branch of the Seoul High Court.

Meanwhile, in a similar case, Pastor B in his 40s, who sexually assaulted and molested minor sisters dozens of times from 2019 to the summer of 2022, was sentenced to eight years in prison in the first trial and appealed.

In the appeal trial, the Criminal Division 1 of the Suwon High Court (Presiding Judges Moon Ju-hyung, Kim Min-sang, Kang Young-jae) overturned the original eight-year sentence and sentenced him to ten years in prison. They also ordered that information about Mr. B be disclosed and notified on information and communication networks for ten years, required him to complete 80 hours of a sexual violence treatment program, and banned him from working in institutions related to children, adolescents, and persons with disabilities for ten years.