"You Have to Have Sex for the Exorcism to Work"... Shaman in His 70s Sentenced to Prison for Raping Student in Her 30s

The court: "He exploited the victim's religious and psychological vulnerability to commit the crimes"
"The victim suffered severe psychological distress"

A shaman and monk in his 70s has been sentenced to prison for repeatedly raping a student in her 30s, telling her that an exorcism ritual was necessary.

According to Yonhap News on Oct. 26, the Criminal Division 1 of the Eastern Branch of the Busan District Court, presided over by Judge Lee Dong-gi, sentenced A, who had been indicted on charges including rape, quasi-rape and sexual intercourse with a person under his protection, to five years in prison. The court also ordered A to complete 80 hours of sexual violence treatment and imposed a five-year employment restriction.

A was indicted for allegedly raping B, a shaman in her 30s who was his student, at locations including a car and a hotel around January 2024. He allegedly frightened her by telling her that the spirit of her deceased teacher was inside her and that she needed an exorcism, and that if she did not have sex with him, she would kill herself, something bad would happen to her family, and she would lose her ability to speak. A denied some of the charges, claiming the relationship was consensual, but the court found all the charges proven.

The court determined that A had committed the crimes by taking advantage of his position and B's reliance on her shamanistic beliefs. It noted that he had used force against B when she refused to have sex, and had repeatedly threatened her and conditioned her to believe sex was necessary, including by performing rituals with a weapon.

The court said it had decided the sentence because A had committed the crimes repeatedly by exploiting the victim's religious and psychological vulnerability, and the victim appeared to be suffering greatly. It added that A had shown no remorse and had made no efforts to repair the harm.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.