Novel Book Scolding Leads to Extreme Choice... Victim Student's Mother "No Apology from Teacher"

A teacher who scolded a student for reading a novel during self-study time at a middle school in Pohang, leading to the student's extreme choice, was sentenced to imprisonment. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Min Jun-young] A teacher who scolded a student in front of other students for reading a novel during self-study time, leading to the student's extreme choice, was sentenced to imprisonment. Meanwhile, the victim student's mother pointed out that "there was no sincere apology from the teacher."

On the 28th, on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' the mother of the deceased student A appeared and said, "The teacher simply said 'I'm sorry' as if without any soul."

On that day, when asked by the host whether the book was for adults, A's mother said, "It was restricted for those under 15, but at that time my child was 16, so it was a book that could be subscribed to," adding, "It doesn't matter with my child’s age."

She continued, "It's called a light novel, and rather than being an erotic book, it is a type of fantasy novel that is wildly popular among teenagers these days."

She then explained, "At that time, the teacher took the book and asked what it was, and asked if it was an erotic book. I told him it was not an erotic book as it appeared," adding, "While the child was explaining that it was not that kind of book, the teacher took the book and went to the teacher's desk."

She also said, "The teacher opened the illustrations and asked the students, 'Is this an erotic book or not?'" and "In that situation, the teacher told another student to look for anything more erotic."

A's mother said she felt "very sad and upset" after watching the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage showing A's movements on the day of the incident.

She explained, "He went from the 4th floor to the 5th floor, and about 20 minutes later came down," adding, "Since it was gym class, he quietly watched his friends having class on the playground, then looked down at the floor, kicked at it, hesitated, and went back up to the 5th floor."

She continued, "At that moment, I wanted to reach into the CCTV to grab him and tell him not to go up, saying '00, don't go up.' I didn't want to let him go."

A's mother said she felt "like being killed twice" by the school's actions on the day of A's funeral procession.

She said, "Even the school and the classmates were all controlled so that no students were present; the entire 3rd grade classes were restricted," adding, "When I asked where the students were, the teacher hesitated and couldn't answer."

She added, "I wish they had just told us not to come, so we could have gone straight to the crematorium without going through the school. I feel regretful."

Meanwhile, on the 26th, the Daegu District Court Pohang Branch Criminal Division 1 (Judge Shin Jin-woo) announced that teacher B, who caused student A to make an extreme choice, was sentenced to 10 months in prison for violating the 'Special Act on the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes.'

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