South Korea sends pastors to prosecution for habitually abusing four children of parishioners at a preschool attached to a church

The pastor and other related parties who regularly abused children of parishioners at a cram school run by a church have been referred to the prosecution. The Suwon Central Police Station in Gyeonggi Province has charged them with habitual abuse under the Child Abuse Punishment Act.
On the 22nd, it was revealed that suspect A, a cram school operator in his 60s, suspect B, a pastor in his 50s, and suspect C, a lecturer in his 60s, had been referred to the prosecutor's office on suspicion of fraud.
The suspects, A, habitually assaulted four teenage children at the church and cram school they operated in Suwon City from 2021 to August last year.
The suspects are accused of abusing the children by making them kneel and groping them on the thighs and other parts of their bodies dozens of times each for the reasons that the children had written complaints about the church in their diaries or had lied.
It was also revealed that the suspects had not given the children food for three days because they did not listen to their orders. The suspects had used words to separate the children from their parents.
The school was run by providing food and lodging for children from poor families, and the suspects made them call their parents "that guy" and "that girl," and also made them do things like "
It was found that the children were repeatedly saying things along the lines of, "Your parents abandoned you." This confirmed that some children were refusing their parents' requests to return home and were living in the church.
Approximately 10 children were living at the school, and all but the four victims reportedly refused to give statements during police investigations. After receiving the report and launching an investigation, the police collected the victim's statements and evidence.
Last month, the court applied for an arrest warrant for suspects A and others. However, the court dismissed the warrant, stating that there was no risk of escape.