A woman who stalked and threatened a Buddhist monk after he ended their romantic relationship has been fined by a South Korean court.
On Thursday, sources reported that Judge Lee Jun Gu of the Seoul Central District Court’s Criminal Division 18 imposed a fine of 5 million won (about $3,467) on the woman. The court also ordered her to complete 40 hours of a stalking intervention program, following violations of South Korea’s Stalking Crime Punishment Act, as well as charges of assault and making threats.
The woman had been romantically involved with the victim, a monk at a Buddhist temple, since May 2019. However, the monk ended the relationship and stopped meeting with her privately, believing that continuing a relationship was incompatible with his monastic vows. She ignored his boundaries despite his wishes and continued stalling and threatening him.
Beginning in June 2023, the woman allegedly made about 26 phone calls to the monk, demanding that they meet. She even appeared at his temple, causing disruptions. During one visit, she confronted another female worshipper, questioning why a young woman would wear shorts at a temple. On another occasion, she interrupted the monk while he was having tea with other devotees, shouting, “This man is mine!” She then slapped his face and threw a teacup at him.
In addition to the physical assault, she allegedly threatened him, demanding that he meet with her or she would report him to his religious superiors for failing to fulfill his duties at the temple.
In court, the woman denied the allegations, claiming she was only visiting the temple to pray as his former partner, not to stalk him. She argued that her sole purpose was to inform the religious order that the monk was not upholding his monastic obligations despite receiving significant donations from her.
However, the court rejected her defense, stating that the monk’s testimony was consistent, clear, and credible. They noted that her threats to report him to his religious superiors could have jeopardized his monastic status, a significant concern for him. The court also highlighted that while the woman had donated over 120 million won (about $83,200), her actions in threatening to report him for unrelated reasons amounted to intimidation.
Although the court acknowledged her remorse and the fact that she admitted to some of her actions, they determined that her conduct was still serious enough to warrant punishment. They also emphasized that while the threats and assaults were concerning, their severity was not extreme.
