'Yonghwa Girls' High School School Me Too' Sexual Harassment Teacher Denies Charges in First Trial

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] A former teacher at Yonghwa Girls' High School in Seoul, who was prosecuted for forcibly molesting several students in the past, denied some of the charges at the first trial. Yonghwa Girls' High School is the school that triggered the 'School Me Too (#me too)' movement exposing sexual violence within the school. At that time, students at this school posted sticky notes to report sexual violence that occurred on campus.

The 11th Criminal Division of the Seoul Northern District Court (Presiding Judge Ma Seong-young) held a trial on the morning of the 23rd for A (55), who was prosecuted for violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse (forcible molestation).

The 11th Criminal Division of the Seoul Northern District Court (Chief Judge Ma Seong-young) held a trial on the morning of the 23rd for A (56), a former Korean language teacher at the school, who was charged with violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse (forcible molestation).

A is accused of forcibly touching parts of the bodies of five students from March 2011 to October of the following year in the student guidance office and other locations at Yonghwa Girls' High School.

On this day, A's defense denied the prosecution's allegations and stated that they do not accept various testimonies and evidence from victims and witnesses. A's defense attorney argued, "We do not admit that the defendant put his hand under the school uniform skirt to touch parts of the body or bit the cheek with his mouth," and added, "Although there may have been physical contact during the defendant's 30 years as a teacher, it was not intentional molestation."

This case became known to the public when graduates of Yonghwa Girls' High School formed the 'Yonghwa Girls' High School Sexual Violence Eradication Committee' in March 2018 and exposed allegations of sexual violence by teachers through social networking services (SNS).

The prosecution, which began investigating in April 2018, dismissed the charges against A in December of the same year due to insufficient evidence after deliberation by the Prosecutors' Citizen Committee. However, after the 'Citizen Group Supporting Nowon School Me Too' submitted a petition in February of the following year, additional supplementary investigations were conducted, and A was indicted at the end of last month.

Before the trial on this day, civic groups including the Citizen Group Supporting Nowon School Me Too, Korea Women's Hotline, and the Yonghwa Girls' High School Sexual Violence Eradication Committee held a press conference in front of the main gate of the Seoul Northern District Court.

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