A sexual offense case involving a Korean American man in the Chicago area and his sister-in-law has drawn renewed attention after details of the 2022 incident recently surfaced.
The victim says she personally asked prosecutors for leniency because her younger sister was pregnant. She alleges that afterward, the man and his wife portrayed her as mentally unstable and isolated her from relatives and people around her.
According to information provided to The Korea Daily on August 6, the case began after the victim, identified by her surname Choi, started working in November 2022 at a physical therapy center in Glenview, Illinois, operated by her brother-in-law, Alexander Han, also known by his Korean name Sangmo Han.
Choi, who was living in Los Angeles at the time, moved to Glenview after Han asked her to help add a Pilates business to his physical therapy center because she held a Pilates instructor certification.
An informant identified by the surname Kim told The Korea Daily that after Choi relocated, Han allegedly made sexually inappropriate comments and began unwanted physical contact in mid-December.
Kim further alleged that Han physically overpowered Choi, who is smaller in stature, during some of the incidents.
According to the account provided to the newspaper, the alleged misconduct continued into January of the following year. When Choi cried and confronted him, Han apologized and said he had temporarily lost control of himself, according to the informant. However, unwanted touching allegedly continued through March.
Kim said Choi suffered severe emotional distress after the incidents and at one point collected sleeping pills while contemplating suicide. A longtime acquaintance eventually persuaded her to report the case to police, Kim said.
Choi reported the case to the Glenview Police Department on May 31, 2023. Han was arrested at his business on June 22 of that year. He was subsequently charged in July 2023 with Class 1 criminal sexual assault and attempted criminal sexual abuse. A conviction on a Class 1 sexual assault charge in Illinois can carry a prison sentence of up to 15 years.
The charge was later reduced through a plea agreement to Class 3 aggravated battery. According to the victim’s side, Choi’s personal request for leniency to prosecutors played a role in the reduced disposition.
At the time, Han’s wife, who is Choi’s younger sister, was pregnant with the couple’s third child. Choi believed that imprisoning her brother-in-law would create hardship for her sister and the children, and asked prosecutors to keep him out of prison.
Han ultimately received two years of probation instead of a prison sentence, along with a permanent revocation of his physical therapy license.
The victim’s side, however, alleges that Han and his wife showed no remorse during or after the court proceedings.
Kim said Han never apologized afterward and alleged that Han’s wife portrayed Choi to relatives as someone who had betrayed the family and isolated her in the family’s group chat. Kim further claimed that Choi’s sister told others that Choi had inherited their father’s schizophrenia and described her as mentally unstable.
Han and his wife are reportedly continuing to operate a Pilates studio in the Glenview area. Kim said the business is registered under the wife’s name.
The Korea Daily made multiple attempts to contact Han and his wife for comment regarding the case. As of 5 p.m. on Aug. 6, neither had responded.
