South Korean pastor gets lenient sentence in sexual abuse of North Korean refugee students

NK News reports that Pastor Chun Ki-won was found guilty of sexually molesting five students who were escapees from North Korea and attended his Durihana school. Alongside his prison sentence, the court has prohibited him from working with children, adolescents, or people with disabilities for five years and has also ordered him to undergo 80 hours of therapy for sexual assault perpetrators.

The allegations of sexual misconduct against Pastor Chun emerged in August 2023. The investigation centered around suspicions of inappropriate touching of the chest, stomach, and legs of five students between the years 2016 and 2023.

Chun Ki-won is a highly regarded figure among Christian organizations aiding North Korean refugees. His Durihana school provides children who escaped from North Korea with assistance settling into South Korea and supports their education, equipping them to become future leaders capable of guiding the unification process of Korea.

Pastor Chun Ki-won's case scrutinizes pastoral work's responsibility involving vulnerable individuals. It also cautions against praising individual endeavors in aid work for North Korea, emphasizing the need to implement accountability processes in organizations working with refugees - as noted by the NK News service.