70-Year-Old Man Sentenced to 25 Years for Decades of Sexual Abuse

A 70-year-old man, identified as A, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison by the Daejeon High Court for sexually assaulting his daughter over a span of 40 years and also abusing his granddaughter. The court upheld the original sentence on June 27, 2025, under the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes, specifically for incestuous rape.

A was accused of raping his daughter, B, 277 times from 1985 until recently. B reportedly suffered abuse starting from the second grade and attempted to escape multiple times as an adult, but her efforts were unsuccessful. As a result of A's actions, B underwent four pregnancies and abortions. Additionally, A is charged with sexually assaulting his granddaughter, C, before she turned 10 years old.

The first trial judge stated that A deprived the victims of their chance to lead normal and happy lives and expressed doubt about whether he felt any remorse, given his firm denial of the charges.

In the appeal, the judges found the victims' testimonies credible based on various evidence and noted A's bizarre behavior, including treating his daughter as if she were his spouse and expressing jealousy over her relationships. They dismissed A's claims of the victims lying as implausible. The court emphasized the severity of A's crimes, which included raping his own daughter for four decades and targeting his granddaughter, but concluded that the original sentence was appropriate considering A's age and health condition.