An aspiring singer in her 20s was held captive and sexually assaulted by her music trainer

[CW/TW Content/Trigger Warning: This article contains details of imprisonment, verbal and physical abuse, and sexual assault, which may be distressing to some readers.]

A horrifying incident has come to light involving a woman in her 20s who was allegedly imprisoned and sexually assaulted by a man in his 40s whom she approached for singing lessons.

According to a January 10 report by JTBC's 'Crime Chief,' the victim, identified as "A," from Ulsan, met Park, a man in his 40s who was a music professor and animal behavior counselor, at a music club meeting in May 2024.

Aspiring to become a singer, 'A' readily accepted Park’s offer to teach her singing, and their lessons began. However, Park soon pressured her, saying, "I’ll be moving to Seoul in August, so there’s not much time left," and added, "You can’t improve your singing while living with your parents—that’s why your life and singing are a mess."

Following this, 'A' moved out and rented a place on her own. However, Park and his wife offered her a room in their home, claiming they had plenty of space and that she was welcome to live with them. Believing it was a valuable opportunity to learn, 'A' accepted the offer. She referred to Park as her "adoptive father" and his wife as her "adoptive mother," and at first, Park treated her well.

However, Park's true nature surfaced soon afterward. He explicitly instructed 'A' to keep her location a secret from her parents. Park later verbally abused her, calling her "worse than an insect" for failing to clean the floor.

'A' alleged that Park escalated his behavior, saying, "You’re disobedient, and now God is angry. You’re supposed to be punished, but since I’m your father, I’ll take the punishment for you." He then inflicted self-harm with a weapon before holding her captive for about a month and assaulting her.

According to 'A,' Park coerced her by saying things like, "God wants you to take your clothes off—it’s God’s command," and "We need to have sexual intercourse to exorcise the evil spirit." She claimed he assaulted her with a metal pipe, brandished a weapon to intimidate her, and proceeded to sexually assault her.

In one instance, Park reportedly forced 'A' to kneel, removed her clothes, and demanded that she send her father a text message saying, "Why did you make me have sex with him?"

'A's parents, after receiving the disturbing message, immediately reported the incident to the police. Park was subsequently arrested on charges of quasi-rape/Sexual exploitation, and an arrest warrant was requested.

Despite the allegations, Park, who was handed over to the prosecution without being detained, denied the accusations, claiming, "I am the victim of sexual assault," and, "'A' tried to attack me, so I had no choice but to hit her." He also denied ever making religious remarks.

Korean netizens were outraged and appalled by this news and urged the perpetrator to be sentenced to death. They commented:

"The death penalty is the only answer."

"You can’t just enter someone else’s home carelessly... They can turn into a monster and imprison you."

"What is even going on… The world’s gone mad."

"Cut 'it' off. Castrate him."

"Let’s send him to God."

"Rapists, murderers, and scammers should always receive the death penalty."

"For demons, the death penalty is the answer. You can’t fix someone with a rotten mind."

"Charged with quasi-rape? Isn’t this just outright rape?"

"God says to strip him naked and hang him upside down in Gwanghwamun!"

"Seriously, give him the death penalty. Is that even a human being? Just imagine someone like that roaming free in society again."

"Nothing in this world is free... If you remember that one thing, you can prevent a lot of danger. When someone treats you well without reason, they have ulterior motives. When something seems too cheap or overly generous, it’s poison. In the end, everything is taken back—including your soul."

"That insane person is the one possessed. To the woman in her 20s—don’t be scared or anxious. Live your life well."