Court Rules Dismissal of Teacher Who Encouraged Middle School Students to Watch Porn and Insulted Fellow Teacher Is Justified

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] A court ruling has upheld the dismissal of a teacher who caused problems by making middle school students watch explicit videos and making insulting remarks to fellow teachers.

The Ulsan District Court's 1st Administrative Division (Chief Judge Jeong Jae-woo) announced on the 19th that it dismissed the lawsuit filed by former teacher A, who was dismissed from a middle school in Ulsan, against the Ulsan Metropolitan Office of Education seeking to cancel the dismissal, ruling in favor of the defendant.

In 2017, while working as a teacher at a middle school in Ulsan, A was dismissed for encouraging students to watch so-called "yadong" (explicit videos) and using sexually explicit profanity during class.

It was also revealed that after engaging in inappropriate behavior such as touching a student's buttocks, A locked the student in the bathroom and forced them to give statements favorable to himself when the incident became known.

Additionally, the disciplinary reasons against A included making insulting remarks to temporary teachers and IT staff, as well as using abusive and derogatory language toward other teachers and the principal.

The court stated, "A committed sexual harassment and child abuse against students from a position of superiority and violated their right to learn," adding, "Despite multiple warnings from the principal, A continued such behavior for a considerable period and, rather than showing remorse, claimed that students and teachers were ostracizing him."

It further added, "The public interest, such as establishing discipline among teachers and restoring public trust in the teaching community through the dismissal, is by no means less significant than the disadvantages A will suffer."

Meanwhile, separate from the dismissal cancellation lawsuit, A was prosecuted for abuse of students and insults toward fellow professors, receiving a prison sentence in the first trial, which was later reduced to a fine of 15 million won on appeal.

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