Taekwondo instructor pleads guilty to child abuse charges

A taekwondo grandmaster from Winnipeg has pleaded guilty to child abuse charges relating to two former students, his lawyer confirms.

On Wednesday, King Yeung entered guilty pleas to charges of sexual interference and sexual exploitation.

In May, Yeung was charged with child abuse, sexual exploitation and other offences related to incidents that took place between 1998 and 2012.

• Winnipeg taekwondo instructor King Yeung charged with child abuse
• 'It feels like betrayal,' says ex-student of Winnipeg taekwondo instructor accused of child abuse

​The allegations come from two individuals who said Yeung inappropriately touched them and sexually assaulted them while they were students at Kang's Academy, where Yeung was the chief instructor.

Both victims said they were under the age of 16 at the time.

Yeung's pleas mean the matter will not go to trial, said his lawyer, Matt Gould. Had the case gone to trial, Gould said it could have spent up to two years in court.

​"The reason King Yeung came forward is that he wanted to have this matter resolved. He wanted to resolve it in a way that did not require the complainants to come and testify in court," he said, adding that testifying in court can be a long and difficult process for witnesses.

"He was motivated by a desire to have this completed … in a way that would limit the exposure that the complainants have to the justice system and the negative impact that that can have."

Gould expects the case to proceed to sentencing in early 2017.

In the meantime, the court ordered a pre-sentencing report to provide additional background and details on Yeung, Gould said.

The president of Taekwondo Manitoba has said Yeung is not a member of Taekwondo Manitoba or Taekwondo Canada.