By Lee Kyung-min
An appellate court has upheld a lower court ruling sentencing a shaman to one year in prison for sexually harassing a middle school girl, 15, Wednesday.
The Seoul High Court confirmed the guilty verdict against the man, identified as Kwon, 40, for sexually abusing a minor.
According to the court, Kwon met the girl at a coffeehouse in Seoul in June and offered to counsel her, saying he could solve her inner problems.
Kwon took her to a singing room. When the girl told him that she wanted to speak to her dead aunt, the man said he could channel the spirit of her deceased relative. Pretending that he was possessed, he told the girl to kiss him on the cheek.
As the girl kissed him on the cheek, Kwon kissed her on the lips. As a result, she reported him to the police.
Kwon claimed that he was too feeble-minded to make a sound judgment at that time as he was possessed by a spirit, and thus he did not intend to sexually harass the girl.
But a district court dismissed his claim, saying he was fabricating details about the situation. “The offender is making excuses using his profession, instead of showing regret. His testimony also lacks consistency,” the court said.
The appellate court upheld the lower court ruling, saying that the punishment suits the offense as the victim is in great emotional distress.