"Dismissed Teachers Who Exposed School Corruption Receive Suspended Sentences After Securing Retirement Severance"

Court: Regardless of corruption truth, mentioning 'exposure' is intimidation... Unwanted resignation considered in sentencing

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] Dismissed teachers who threatened to expose school corruption, including falsification of graduates' school records, after being advised to resign, and received 700 million won in retirement consolation money, were given suspended sentences in the first trial.

On the 16th, Judge Lee Sang-hoon of the Seoul Southern District Court Criminal Division 11, who presided alone, announced that he sentenced seven dismissed teachers in their 50s, including Hong (55), who were indicted for violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes (joint extortion), to 4 to 6 months in prison with a one-year suspension of execution.

According to the court, Hong and others were advised to resign by Chairman Kim at an alternative school in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, where they had worked as teachers for over 20 years, around March 2014. At that time, the school was reportedly in poor financial condition due to the cessation of district office subsidies and a continuous decline in student numbers.

Initially, they refused to resign and resisted by demanding job security until retirement age and school incorporation.

Meanwhile, they discovered some falsified parts in the student records of the school's graduates and devised a new strategy. They decided to accept the advised resignation itself but threatened to expose the corruption to the media or investigative agencies to extort retirement consolation money without legal grounds.

From September to November of that year, they met with school officials, including the vice principal, and threatened them by saying things like, "There is a lot of material, and if it is revealed, the school will be closed," and "We will expose everything to the media and send materials to the Board of Audit and Inspection to have the school investigated," causing fear, according to the investigation.

Eventually, in March 2015, the school paid each of the seven about 100 million won in consolation money.

The court stated, "Regardless of whether the falsification of school records and other corruption were true, threatening to expose them constitutes intimidation," and "The means and methods used by the defendants to realize their rights exceed what is socially acceptable and cannot be considered justifiable or self-help actions."

However, the court also noted, "All defendants resigned in an unwanted manner from a workplace where they devoted their youth despite poor facilities and environment, which is a factor to be considered," and "It also took into account that they ultimately resigned upon the school's recommendation," explaining the sentencing rationale.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.