By Bae Hyun-jung

The prosecution and the court, for the first time, have referred to the adolescent sexual protection law to strip a father of his parental rights for sexually abusing his own daughter.

The Uijeongbu District Court on Monday upheld the prosecutor's demand and stripped a 47-year-old father surnamed Yoon of custody of his daughter for repeatedly raping and sexually abusing her over the past years, said court officials.

The court decision is to be confirmed unless Yoon decides to appeal to the appellate court within two weeks from the ruling.

"A parent who has committed such crimes on his own daughter should be regarded as giving up his parental rights and duties," said the presiding judge in the ruling.

Yoon was indicted in September for sexually abusing and raping his daughter repeatedly over the past years.

Prosecutors, separate from the criminal punishment for sexual abuse, requested the court deprive the man of further abusing his parental status. For his criminal allegations, prosecutors demanded a 15-year jail sentence and five years of wearing an electronic lag.

The court decision reflected the Korean society's ongoing concerns about the damage caused by sex crimes against minors, coming amid the scandals related to a brutal child rape case which was recently revealed.

Other cases are expected to follow suit as the Supreme Prosecutor's Office recently sent out guidelines to all prosecutors to make full use of their rights to drive out sex offenders from their parental status.

The adolescent sexual protection law, effectuated in 2007, allows the prosecution to ask the court to strip a guilty person of the custody rights in cases of parental sexual abuse against underage victims.

In the past, prosecutors have referred to the civil law to make such requests, but parents who abused their children were generally handed down a light punishment as the court hesitated to break up the family unit.

(tellme@heraldm.com)