Taekwondo instructor gets 7 years for raping 12-year-old student, producing sexual exploitation material

A taekwondo instructor who repeatedly raped a 12-year-old student at his gym and produced sexual exploitation material of her has been sentenced to seven years in prison.

The Suwon High Court's Criminal Division 3, presided over by Judge Jo Hyo-jeong, upheld the seven-year sentence Friday on appeal. The defendant, identified only as A, had been charged with violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes — including aggravated punishment for child abuse by workers at child welfare facilities — as well as statutory rape of a minor.

The court also ordered A to complete 80 hours of a sexual violence treatment program and banned him from working at institutions involving children and youth for 10 years.

"The defendant betrayed the trust of parents and students by treating a student under his instruction as an object of sexual desire — conduct of the most serious nature," the court said. "The victim's family has suffered considerable psychological trauma, and the defendant has not been forgiven by them."

A was indicted on charges of raping the victim, identified as B and 12 years old at the time, on four occasions between June and August last year at a taekwondo gym in Gyeonggi Province. He also faced charges of producing child and youth sexual exploitation material by filming B and directing her to perform sexual acts, then receiving the recordings.

B told investigators that she complied with the defendant's demands because she feared he would treat her poorly or scold her for the slightest mistake if she did not.