High Court issues arrest warrant after Korean fled

Staff writer, with CNA





The High Court on Thursday said that it is issuing an arrest warrant for a South Korean man who has been convicted of sexually harassing two of his students in Taipei after it was discovered that he had left the country.

Even though Park Jae-kyung, who taught Korean language and culture at National Chengchi University in Taipei, failed to appear at a court hearing in October, the court only decided to issue a warrant for his arrest after learning that he had left Taiwan.

Park was sentenced to 14 months in prison by the Taipei District Court in December last year after he was found guilty of sexually harassing two Taiwanese students while he was their teacher from March to May 2017.

The sentence was commutable to a fine of NT$420,000.

Pleading not guilty, Park appealed the case to the High Court and appeared at a court hearing in May, the court said.

Although the lower court prohibited Park from leaving Taiwan, that order expired on April 7 and the High Court did not extend it.

A new order barring Park from leaving the country was not issued because the defendant faces a relatively lenient sentence that is commutable to a fine, the court said.

The 45-year-old was accused of repeatedly and inappropriately touching the two female students against their will in his office, under the pretense of having language-exchange sessions.

Later, the university terminated Park’s contract after reviewing the allegations made against him.

In a separate civil suit, the Taipei District Court on Wednesday ordered Park to pay NT$500,000 in damages to one of the two students and NT$300,000 to the other.