A logo of the Catholic Diocese of Suwon (Image: Yonhap)
SEOUL, Feb. 26 (Korea Bizwire) – A group of progressive South Korean Catholic preiests has issued an apology after a former member was accused of atempted rape seven years ago in South Sudan.
A priest at the Catholic Diocese of Suwon, who is only identified by his surname Han, is accused of attempting to rape a female volunteer worker multiple times during his stay in South Sudan in 2011.
The alleged victim, Kim Min-kyung, a Catholic who was then in South Sudan with Han for missionary work, publicly shared her experience through a KBS news report last week.
“As I walked out of the dining area, he tried to rape me after locking the door,” Kim told KBS. “With my wrists retrained, I resisted and even got a black eye in the process.”
The diocese has announced that Han admitted to most of the charges. The priest has been suspended from his duties.
On Sunday, the Catholic Priests Association for Justice (CPAJ) issued a statement saying, “We deeply repent for the wretched actions of Rev. Han.” Han quit CPAJ in light of the alleged crime.
“We accept his violent actions, which has darkened the human spirit, as something our group should jointly be held accountable for,” CPAJ said. “We ask for forgiveness from the victim, who has gone through her hidden pain for a long period of time.”
CPAJ has been a cornerstone of the pro-democracy movement in South Korea. It played a key role in resistance against the former military-backed authoritarian regimes of Park Chung-hee and Chun Doo-hwan.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, meanwhile, is looking into a separate sexual harassment allegation involving a senior member of the Catholic Human Rights Committee.
A priest with a managerial role on the committee, whose name was withheld, is accused of sexually harassing a female activist in 2014. The alleged victim wrote on her social media that the suspected offender apologized but later spread rumors that it was done by mutual consent. She also claimed that her fellow activists ignored her plea for help.
(Yonhap)
