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Pastor referred to prosecutors on charges of sexually assaulting his congregant for years

Published: 17 Mar. 2026, 20:14

The Hanam Police Station in Hanam, Gyeonggi, is pictured in this undated file photo. [JOONGANG ILBO]

A pastor has been sent to prosecutors on charges of sexually assaulting a congregant of his church multiple times over several years, police said on Tuesday.

The Hanam Police Precinct in Gyeonggi referred the man without detention on charges of quasi-rape by abuse of occupational authority.

Under Korea’s Criminal Act, quasi-rape refers to engaging in sexual intercourse or committing an indecent act with someone unconscious or otherwise incapable of consenting or resisting.

The woman filed a complaint last year, claiming she was “sexually assaulted hundreds of times from 2010 to 2024.”

She said the pastor committed the acts while indoctrinating her with religious teachings.

The pastor denied the accusations and reportedly alleged he was in a romantic relationship with the woman.

Police said they recognized charges for some of the alleged incidents that fell within the statute of limitations and forwarded those to prosecutors.

“We applied the relevant charges, as we believe the suspect committed the crimes against the victim, a church member under his protection and supervision, by using his position as a pastor,” a police official said.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JUNG SI-NAE [[email protected]]