“You said Dad touched you?” Biological father accused of child molestation ... Daughter in tears: “Mom made me lie” [What do you think?]

[The Financial News] A man who had been unable to see his daughter for more than a year after his divorce said he felt wronged after his ex-wife suddenly filed a complaint accusing him of child molestation. Later, the daughter confided to her paternal grandmother, “Mom made me lie,” prompting allegations that the remarried ex-wife had forced her to make false statements to completely block contact with her biological father in what is known as “parental alienation.”

According to Attorney Jo In-seop’s Counseling Center on YTN Radio on the 12th, a man identified as A divorced his ex-wife through mediation six years ago. His ex-wife was granted parental rights and custody of their daughter, who was five at the time. A paid child support every month and had visitation with his daughter on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month, with each visit lasting one night and two days.
A’s routine of paying child support on time and maintaining regular visits was upended when his ex-wife remarried about a year later. She began postponing visits, saying “the child is sick” or “she has classes at her academy,” and often stopped responding on the day of a scheduled visit. After going more than a year without seeing his daughter, A went to her school, but she did nothing but avoid him.
A was then informed by police that a complaint had been filed against him on suspicion of child molestation. The allegation was that he had touched his daughter’s body during a past visit. Soon afterward, a hostile text message was sent from his daughter’s phone number: “I know everything you did, Dad. You’re disgusting, so don’t contact me again.”

A, who had been plunged into deep despair, recently received unexpected news from his mother. His daughter had secretly called her grandmother and confessed, “Mom told me to lie to the police officer like that.” A vented his anger, saying his ex-wife had forced the child to lie because she saw him as an obstacle to her remarried family.
Attorney Gwak Dong-ju of Sinsegyero Law Firm, who heard the account, highlighted “parental alienation”—a form of emotional abuse in which one parent manipulates a child into rejecting the other parent—and stressed the importance of responding appropriately at the early stages of an investigation.
Attorney Gwak explained, “Sex crimes against children are treated very seriously, so it is essential to get legal counsel before the first questioning. You should secure evidence supporting an alibi, such as statements from family members who were present during visits, places visited, photos and messages, and actively show that the child’s account may have been distorted by prompting or repeated indoctrination by the custodial parent.” The daughter’s account of what she had confided to her grandmother was also cited as key evidence for challenging the credibility of her statement.
He added, “If his innocence is established through a decision not to pursue charges or similar, he can consider filing a complaint against his ex-wife for making a false accusation,” and noted that “forcing a child to make false statements and brainwashing the child to be hostile toward the biological father may constitute emotional abuse under the Child Welfare Act.”
Legal experts said that if such conduct is confirmed, it could be grounds not only for criminal penalties and a civil claim for damages for emotional distress, but also for a decisive request to change custody. They also suggested that, in cases of noncompliance with visitation arrangements, an application to the court for an enforcement order could result in an administrative fine of up to 10 million won, or that the parties could use a neutral court visitation center.

Attorney Gwak added, “Because the child’s psychological recovery should be the top priority in resolving the case, the court should be asked to order counseling for the child or parent education to help heal the emotional wounds.”

[email protected] Moon Young-jin Reporter