Victims of San Jose taekwondo coach speak out at sentencing

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) — A longtime San Jose taekwondo instructor who molested two of his students dodged jailtime and will be allowed to continue coaching children at his martial arts studio. Andrew Suh, 37, was sentenced on Monday by a Santa Clara County Superior Court judge.

Suh is a taekwondo master and owns TAEMA Taekwondo. He previously pleaded no contest to misdemeanor child molestation in exchange for the court dropping felony charges.

Judge Panteha Saban ordered Suh to register as a sex offender for 10 years and complete a sex offender treatment program. He can continuing coaching children at his martial arts studio if an adult is present, she said. “You must notify the students and parents of your registration status,” Saban told Suh in court Monday morning.

The judge also imposed a criminal protective order barring Suh from contacting the victims. He received two-months credit for time served under house arrest.

The victims, who are sisters and were 15 years old at the time of the abuse, spoke at Suh’s sentencing hearing. Both sisters told Judge Saban that the abuse began with grooming that escalated into sexual abuse over time.

One of the sisters said in court, “Taekwondo was my entire life. My coaches became mentors. With Andrew being the main coach, all of my time was spent with him. I was his favorite athlete. Isolating me from my parents … you took advantage of me when I didn’t know any better.”

The sister addressed her former coach directly when she said, “You won’t be able to control us anymore.” She recited the tenets of taekwondo to him, detailing how he violated each one when he inappropriately touched her.

The sister said Suh would travel with her to taekwondo tournaments and sleep in the same room with her. “I wish you respected my body and boundaries,” she said.

The sisters testified that Suh was very controlling over their lives and relationships.

The second sister said she grew up viewing Suh as her “big brother.” Some of the abuse happened when the coach gave the girls with private one-on-one sessions, including session at his home.

“He stripped away my innocence for his pleasure,” the second sister said. She described a vicious cycle when her coach would break her down, play the role of her “savior,” and then molest her.

San Jose police said the abuse happened between 2013-2017. He was arrested in 2019.

The second sister said she wanted two things from the case’s conclusion. One was for Suh to “admit that he’s wrong. Even today, he does not do that. If he doesn’t think what he did was wrong, what’s stopping him from abusing the next kid?”

The second was for Suh to never coach children again. His sentence, however, allows him to. This is dangerous, the second sister said, because “no one dares to question his actions, this includes students, parents, and other instructors.”

Judge Saban told the victims that the sentence she handed down was in accordance with California law and the charge he pleaded no contest to. As part of the plea deal, felony charges were dropped from the case, Suh’s defense attorney told KRON4.

The sisters said they spoke up about what happened to help protect Suh’s future students. Their mother said, “You had people who said they were lying. They stood their ground to speak their truth. They did it to protect others.”

KRON4 reached out to Suh on Instagram, Facebook, email, and two different phone numbers and did not hear back.

Judge Saban told the sisters, “I hope this sentencing gives you some closure today and helps you heal.”

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