"Since No One's Watching, Just Once, I'll Give You More Salary"…40-Year-Old Owner Harassed Young Part-Time Worker

Sentenced to 3 Years Imprisonment in Both First Instance and Appeal Trial

A convenience store owner in his 60s who committed sexual crimes against a part-time worker in her 20s, 40 years his junior, and tried to persuade her by promising a raise, was sentenced to prison again in the appellate court following the first trial.

The Criminal Division 1 of the Chuncheon Branch of the Seoul High Court (Chief Judge Min Ji-hyun) dismissed the appeal filed by Mr. A (61), who was charged with forced molestation and quasi-rape, and upheld the original sentence of three years in prison, Yonhap News reported on the 3rd. The appellate court also maintained the original ruling ordering Mr. A to complete 40 hours of a sexual violence treatment program and imposed a five-year employment restriction at institutions related to children, adolescents, and persons with disabilities.

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Mr. A, a convenience store owner in Wonju, Gangwon Province, was charged with quasi-rape after approaching Ms. B, a woman in her 20s who was packing up to go home after her early morning part-time shift at his store on August 13 last year, forcibly touching several parts of her body and trying to remove her clothes. A week later, on August 20, he was also charged with forcibly molesting Ms. B in a karaoke room and the back seat of a taxi, and on August 28, while Ms. B was working at the convenience store, he forcibly hugged her from behind and touched her body with both hands. Earlier, in July of the same year, Mr. A followed Ms. B under the pretext of taking her home after her part-time shift, grabbed her hand, and said, "No one is watching, just once," and when Ms. B resisted, he held her hand tightly and tried to hug her, charges that were also included.

After the crimes, Mr. A, knowing that Ms. B was in financial difficulty, tried to cover up his wrongdoing by offering economic compensation, saying, "I will raise your salary," which was revealed during the investigation and trial. The first trial court sentenced Mr. A to prison, stating, "The crime is serious as he forcibly molested and quasi-raped a victim 40 years younger than himself." Mr. A appealed, claiming the sentence was too harsh.

The appellate court's judgment was the same as the first trial. The appellate court explained the reason for dismissing the appeal, saying, "Considering the relationship between the defendant and the victim, the crime is serious," and "The defendant has not been forgiven by the victim, who is petitioning for a severe punishment." Regarding sentencing, the court added, "The circumstances claimed by the defendant were already reflected in the original trial, and there has been no change in sentencing conditions during the appeal."

A man in his 70s who said to a teenage part-timer, "I want to kiss you"

Meanwhile, last year, a man in his 70s who owned a store and sexually harassed a teenage female part-timer by saying "I want to kiss you" and pulling her waist was sentenced to a fine.

In November last year, the Criminal Division 12 of the Ulsan District Court (Chief Judge Lee Daero) sentenced Mr. C, who was tried for violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse (forced molestation), to a fine of 10 million won. Mr. C, who runs a store in Ulsan, said to Ms. D, a teenage part-timer, "I want to kiss you. I want to hug you," while giving her a ride to the store in his car in January last year. After arriving at the store, he tapped Ms. D's body and pulled her waist toward himself inside the store. He also sent messages such as "You're pretty. I love you" multiple times to Ms. D via mobile messenger. Ms. D, embarrassed, could not immediately protest and hesitated before reporting the incident several days later.

The court stated the reason for the sentence, saying, "It is presumed that the young victim felt considerable sexual shame and helplessness after being molested by the defendant who employed her," but "considering that the defendant has no prior sexual offense record and his age." The court also ordered Mr. C to complete 40 hours of a sexual violence treatment program and imposed a three-year employment restriction at institutions related to children and adolescents on Ms. D.