Convicted sex offender still allowed to teach taekwondo to kids in San Jose

SAN JOSE, Calif. ( KRON ) – A San Jose taekwondo instructor will soon be registered as a sex offender, but the court says he can still work with kids and teach classes.

The man was convicted of molesting two teenage girls when they were under 16 years old, and for the first time since his arrest, the victims' mom is speaking out, saying parents in San Jose should be aware.

Like any parent, Marie Mabanag thinks the world of her two daughters. It's been five years since they spoke out against their longtime taekwondo instructor and family friend Andrew Suh, who taught the girls for more than 10 years.

"The girls saw him as a big brother, not just their master, he would relate to them as a big brother," Mabanag said.

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Mabanag says he abused that power. He used to sleep in the same tent as the kids when he took them camping, she said.

"They would be watching movies at his apartment when they were supposed to be training," Mabanag remembers.

Eventually, the daughters spoke out, and Suh was charged in early 2019. His case was then postponed for years due to pandemic restrictions.

However, on Monday he will be sentenced after he was convicted of molesting Mabanag's daughters.

"I placed my kids in his hands. Him being arrested, I have to face the fact that I helped that," she said. "I helped put them in the hands. I can't tell you how that really feels."

Part of Suh's upcoming sentencing is 60 days on house arrest, something he already did because the courts took so long with this case. He will also be a registered sex offender on Megan's Law for 10 years.

But to the parents of the girls he molested, the hardest news to face is that he still can teach at his taekwondo studio. The sex offender laws state that since he owns this business, he doesn't even have to report his sex offender registration to the children he teaches.

"We protected innocent before guilty. He had his rights taken care of. Now that he's guilty, who is protecting the innocent?" Mabanag said.

KRON4 reached out to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office, and they never explained why he can still work with kids.

They said Suh has to report his sex offender registry to his students, but when we clarified the part of the law that excludes business owners, they didn't respond.

"If this was a public school they wouldn't have access," Mabanag said. "If he was someone who was employed at a business it would be up to the business owner. Because he is an owner he gets the choice and the power to tell families. How is that fair to kids and families? This is a loophole in our law. There needs to be something to protect our kids more."

As for Mabanag's daughters, both went on to graduate college. She's proud of their courage.

"You had people who said they were lying, who would not support them and they stood their ground to speak their truth and in it they did it to protect others," she said.

And with this chapter of Suh's legal battle behind them, Mabanag has a message to parents out there.

"Trust no one. Especially these private businesses. Do your homework. Trust no one with your most valuable asset. The moment that is damaged, that is hard to fix."

KRON4 reached out to Suh on Instagram, Facebook, email, and two different phone numbers and did not hear back. If he violates any conditions of his sex offender registry, he could go to prison.