Christian activist arrested for child sex abuse in s. korea

A Christian activist well known for his efforts to mentor destitute juveniles and young boys was arrested on Monday over suspicions that he sexually abused his proteges over the past two decades, police said. The 61-year-old man and elder of a local church, only identified by his family name Kim, was accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting six boys whom he took under his wing for education, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said. Among the victims was a 15-year-old middle school boy that Kim brought to live in his home in central Seoul in 1991 with a pledge to "guide the boy to a righteous path through religious faith." While at his home, Kim allegedly led the boy surnamed Hwang, now 35, to strip and then Kim touched the boy's body, the police agency said. The police investigation also found that another boy was sexually abused by Kim for nine years since he was a kindergartener, while another family had their three sons victimized by Kim. According to the police, Kim is a quite famous social figure who leads a Seoul branch of a children's support group and he drew media attention for his practice of the tea ceremony. Kim used his fame to lure his fellow churchgoers to send boys to his educational programs and acted as a guardian for the boys while committing the crimes, police said. "He satisfied his sexual desires while acting as their guardian after receiving the victims," a police official said. Kim drew in the mentees with pledges that he would bring them on an overseas trip to broaden their perspectives, the official said. Police said they will continue their investigation as there might be more abuse cases given that Kim's crimes have taken place repeatedly over the past 20 years.