Seoul Central District Court / Korea Times photo by Jung Da-bin

A female temple member has been fined for stalking and threatening a head monk after he ended their romantic relationship.

The Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 18, under Judge Lee Jun-gu, imposed a 5 million won ($3,740) fine on the woman and ordered her to complete 40 hours of a stalking treatment program. She was found guilty of violating the Act on Punishment of Crime of Stalking, as well as charges of assault and threats.

The woman, a temple member, had been in a romantic relationship with the head monk since May 2019. However, the monk decided to end the relationship, explaining that, as a monk, he could not engage in romantic affairs. The woman, refusing to accept this, began stalking and threatening him.

According to the investigation, she called the monk 26 times from June 2023 and visited his temple, demanding to meet. She also caused disturbances at the temple, including an incident where she interrupted a tea gathering with other members, shouting, "This man is my man," and threw a ceramic teacup. She also threatened the monk, saying she would report their relationship to the temple authorities if he did not comply with her demands.

During the trial, the woman argued that she and the monk had been in a relationship and that her actions were simply a response to his failure to fulfill a prayer request after receiving a large donation. She claimed she was merely informing him that she would report him to the religious order. She claimed her statements were not meant as a threat.

The court rejected her claims, stating, "The victim's testimony is consistent and detailed, making it credible." The judge further explained, "Given that the monk could realistically lose his credentials due to the complaint, it is clear that the victim perceived her statements as a threat."

The court acknowledged that the woman had donated over 120 million won to the temple but ruled that her threats were unrelated to financial matters. The judge concluded, "Considering she explicitly said she would report their relationship to the temple, her intent to threaten is evident."

However, the court took into account that she had admitted to some of her actions and shown remorse, which was reflected in the sentencing.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.