Teacher Sentenced to Prison for Corporal Punishment Leading to Student's Suicide Over "Reading Erotic Book"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] A teacher who was prosecuted for reprimanding a student and causing shame for reading a novel book, leading to the student's suicide by jumping, was sentenced to imprisonment.

The Daegu District Court Pohang Branch Criminal Division 1 (Judge Shin Jinwoo) announced on the 26th that it sentenced A (36), a teacher at a middle school in Pohang, who was charged with violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes, to 10 months in prison. In addition, A was ordered to complete a 40-hour child abuse treatment program and was banned from employment at child-related institutions for five years.

The court stated the sentencing reasons, saying, "The teacher committed emotional abuse, which led to the student's death by jumping, making the crime serious, and considering the bereaved family's petition for severe punishment, a prison sentence is inevitable," and "considering the acknowledgment of the facts and the absence of prior criminal records."

A was prosecuted for corporal punishment by making B, a third-grade student, lie face down for 20 minutes after instructing self-study during school hours on March 25 last year, saying, "You are reading an obscene book," when B was reading a novel. The book B was reading at the time was known to be a popular novel called 'Light Novel.'

B stayed alone in the classroom without moving during the next class, left a note claiming "I am being bullied," and jumped from the classroom, dying as a result.

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