A Korean man who allegedly raped his Filipino ex-wife’s sister will be tried in court again Wednesday.

The man, 39, has been charged with raping his former sister-in-law, 20, when his ex-wife was not at home. The victim was staying at the couple’s house on Jeju Island to attend their wedding last February, as she had been invited by the man. 

The victim, who came from the Philippines, revealed the incident to her sister’s close friend, after the couple went on their honeymoon. The victim’s sister then divorced the suspect.

The man was tried in court for rape. However, the lower court declared last October that the suspect was innocent, saying, “It is hard to agree with the claim that the victim failed to run away from the scene, despite the fact that she had multiple chances.”

The prosecution appealed, and the second trial will be held Wednesday.

Korean civic groups gathered in front of the Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Council on Monday to protest the court’s judgement. They said that the court had not considered that the case amounted to sexual harassment by an immediate family member.

The protesters also argued that the suspect should be ruled guilty, saying, “The (lower) court’s previous decision implied that the accused misunderstood the victim’s willingness, because she did not actively resist.”

They added, “Considering that the Filipino victim was invited to Korea by the accused, she wasn’t able to actively take action against him.”

By Im Eun-byel (silverstar@herladcorp.com)