American English teacher molested 5-year-old girl during class while drunk (South Korea)

An unlicensed American English teacher who was tried on charges of molesting a five-year-old girl while teaching at a language school while drunk has been sentenced to seven years in prison on appeal.
On the 23rd, the Busan High Court ruled that a US man in his 30s, A, who was indicted on charges of violating the Special Act on Sexual Violence Crimes (forcible indecency for minors under 13) and the Immigration Control Act, was a suspect.
The defendant was sentenced to seven years in prison, the same as in the first trial. He was also ordered to be restricted from working in organizations related to children, adolescents, and people with disabilities for five years.
On May 22, 2024, Defendant A was drinking seven bottles of soju while attending an English class at a language school in Dongnae-gu, Busan.
He is accused of sexually abusing a 5-year-old girl several times at the school. He also entered South Korea on a tourist visa in March 2024 and continued to work at the language school despite not being allowed to do so.
He is also accused of working as an English teacher for two months at a school in Tokyo. In the first trial prior to this, Defendant A admitted to all the charges and said, "I have symptoms of alcoholism and I would like the court to take into consideration my unfortunate personal circumstances."
However, the first trial court said, "Under Korea's sentencing standards, the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Violence against Children Under 13 Years Old has special sentencing elements that include the workers at the shelters and the person obligated to report.
"The crime of abduction is defined as an aggravating factor," the court said, pointing out that defendant A, who was a teacher at a language school at the time, had a duty to protect the students.
"The crime was extremely serious because it was committed at a language school, which is a special protection facility," he said.
The Supreme Court found the crime to be "heinous" and sentenced him to seven years in prison. Defendant A appealed the decision, arguing that the sentence was too heavy, and the prosecution appealed the decision, arguing that the sentence was too light, but the appeals court dismissed both appeals.
The appeals court said, "Defendant A boldly committed the crime against a five-year-old child during school hours," and "Up until now, the victim has pleaded for severe punishment.
Considering these and other factors, it is difficult to consider the sentence imposed in the first instance to be too severe, and we do not believe that the sentence should be increased further as argued by the prosecutors."