S. Korean pastor sentenced to 14 years in Cambodia for child sex

Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-31 19:45:12|Editor: Song Lifang
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PHNOM PENH, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- A Cambodian court on Thursday sentenced a South Korean pastor to 14 years in prison for purchasing child prostitution and having sexual intercourse with nine underage girls, an anti-pedophile organization said in a statement.

Park Youl, 63, the pastor of two churches in northwestern Siem Reap province, was also ordered to pay a total of 70,000 U.S. dollars in compensation to seven of the nine victims, the child protection NGO Action Pour Les Enfants (APLE) said, citing a verdict pronounced by Siem Reap Provincial Court Presiding Judge Sam Bun Pov.

The court also ordered Park's deportation from Cambodia after he completes his sentencing.

Park was arrested in Oct. 2016 by Siem Reap provincial anti-human trafficking and juvenile protection police after almost a two-year long investigation, said the APLE that assisted the police in the investigation, adding that the victims aged between 12 and 17 years.

"We welcome the court decision to deport Park as we believe this will help to disrupt his possibility to reoffend Cambodian children in the future," said Vando Khoem, APLE's program director.

Cambodia launched an anti-pedophile operation in 2003 in a bid to end its reputation as a haven for child sex offenders. Since then, dozens of foreigners have been imprisoned for child sex crimes.

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