A former pastor has been sentenced to nine years in prison for having sex with underage members of his congregation, the Seoul High Court said Sunday.

The 65-year-old man, surnamed Kang, had been indicted on charges of having sex with his victims, including a then 11-year-old girl, and sexually molesting three others at his church in 2006.

He was also found to have taken photos of them in sexual poses and beaten and threatened the victims when they did not answer his phone calls.

“The defendant assaulted five teenagers by coercing them with his religious authority and satisfied his sexual desire while watching the images that he took. He left serious, untreatable scars on the young victims,” the court ruling said.

Upholding the ruling of an earlier trial, the court also ordered that personal information about Kang be made available online for 10 years, that he undergo 80 hours of counseling and treatment, and ordered him to wear a traceable electronic anklet for six years.

During the first trial, Kang denied all allegations, saying the victims had sex with him of their own free will. However, the court said that it ruled him guilty of the charges, considering that much of the testimonies of the victims was consistent.

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)