South Korean pastor arrested for sexually harassing young North Korean defectors
South Korean police have arrested a pastor on charges of sexually harassing young North Korean defectors at a boarding school, said the police on Tuesday.
The 67-year-old pastor, identified only by his family name Chun, was the boarding school’s principal, reported Yonhap News Agency on Tuesday, citing the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.
The news outlet also said Chun is accused of having sexually molested young defectors since 2018.
So far, nine victims have been identified by the police, reported KBS World on Tuesday.
Chun is under investigation and is facing possible indictment, reported local media.
South Korean media also said that he is Chun Ki-won, one of the South Korean pastors who over two decades helped thousands of North Korean women escape from China, where they were trafficked in the sex trade – a story reported by CNN previously.
For his efforts, Chun was dubbed the “Asian Schindler”, in reference to Oskar Schindler, the German industrialist and member of the Nazi Party who saved at least 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust. Schindler’s story was made into an Oscar-winning movie in 1993.
In July, eight North Koreans, who studied at the boarding school, filed a complaint against Chun, reported KBS World. They alleged that Chun had sexually molested them for years, said the report.
On Aug 21, the Seoul Central District Court issued an arrest warrant for Chun.
The news reports did not state the name of the boarding school. However, in a CNN report in 2019, Chun said that his Christian aid organisation, Durihana, had helped over 1,000 defectors reach Seoul since 1999.
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