Appeals court upholds 5-yr prison term for pastor over sexually assaulting teenage N. Korean defectors

An appellate court on Tuesday upheld a five-year sentence for a pastor accused of sexually assaulting teenage North Korean defectors. The pastor, identified only by his surname Chun, is accused of sexually assaulting six teenage defectors from North Korea or the children of the escapees on eight occasions from 2016 to 2023 in the school dormitory when he was the principal of an alternative school. The Seoul High Court handed out the five-year imprisonment, along with 80 hours of sexual abuse treatment program, and ordered a five-year ban from being employed in child-related facilities. The court scolded Chun for committing the crime in a position that had "absolute influence" on North Korean defectors or their children. It also said it took into account the defendant's outright denial of the charges and is not remorseful of his crime. Chun was hailed as "Asia's Schindler" by the foreign media as he helped over 1,000 North Koreans flee from 1999. Source: Yonhap News Agency