
Seoul Central District Courtroom / Korea Occasions photograph by Jung Da-bin
A feminine temple member has been fined for stalking and threatening a head monk after he ended their romantic relationship.
The Seoul Central District Courtroom’s Felony Division 18, beneath Decide Lee Jun-gu, imposed a 5 million gained ($3,740) nice on the lady and ordered her to finish 40 hours of a stalking remedy program. She was discovered responsible of violating the Act on Punishment of Crime of Stalking, in addition to expenses of assault and threats.
The lady, a temple member, had been in a romantic relationship with the top monk since Might 2019. Nonetheless, the monk determined to finish the connection, explaining that, as a monk, he couldn’t have interaction in romantic affairs. The lady, refusing to simply accept this, started stalking and threatening him.
In line with the investigation, she known as the monk 26 occasions from June 2023 and visited his temple, demanding to satisfy. She additionally prompted disturbances on the temple, together with an incident the place she interrupted a tea gathering with different members, shouting, „This man is my man,“ and threw a ceramic teacup. She additionally threatened the monk, saying she would report their relationship to the temple authorities if he didn’t comply together with her calls for.
Throughout the trial, the lady argued that she and the monk had been in a relationship and that her actions have been merely a response to his failure to meet a prayer request after receiving a big donation. She claimed she was merely informing him that she would report him to the spiritual order. She claimed her statements weren’t meant as a risk.
The courtroom rejected her claims, stating, „The sufferer’s testimony is constant and detailed, making it credible.“ The choose additional defined, „Provided that the monk may realistically lose his credentials as a result of grievance, it’s clear that the sufferer perceived her statements as a risk.“
The courtroom acknowledged that the lady had donated over 120 million gained to the temple however dominated that her threats have been unrelated to monetary issues. The choose concluded, „Contemplating she explicitly stated she would report their relationship to the temple, her intent to threaten is obvious.“
Nonetheless, the courtroom took under consideration that she had admitted to a few of her actions and proven regret, which was mirrored within the sentencing.
This text from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Occasions, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Occasions.