"Looks Like She'll Have Easy Childbirth"… 50s Teacher Fined for Sexual Harassment of Student Confirmed

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] A teacher in his 50s who repeatedly made sexually uncomfortable remarks to students has been sentenced to a fine by the Supreme Court.

On the 26th, the Supreme Court's 2nd Division (Presiding Justice No Jeonghee) announced that it upheld the lower court's ruling sentencing high school teacher A (55), who was charged with violating the Child Abuse Punishment Act (aggravated punishment for workers at child welfare facilities), to a fine of 2.5 million won.

History teacher A was prosecuted for emotional abuse after making sexually uncomfortable remarks to students 11 times during class in 2018. Investigations revealed that A made statements such as "You look like you would give birth to good children, I want to make you my daughter-in-law," "I want to turn you into a doll and hang you in front of my bed," and "I want to take you home like bossam (wrapped pork dish)."

In court, A’s defense argued, "The victim students falsely accused him by involving personal feelings or exaggerated the content and intent of the remarks, misinterpreting the context," and "Even if such remarks were made, they were meant as praise and encouragement."

The first trial sentenced A to a fine of 10 million won. The court judged that the problematic remarks exceeded socially acceptable levels considering their content and context, and the frequency was not insignificant, so they could not be simply regarded as well-intentioned or arising from the class process.

The second trial also found him guilty but reduced the fine to 2.5 million won. This was in consideration of A’s admission of wrongdoing and apology, his financial compensation to the victims who did not wish for punishment, and his over ten years of diligent service as a teacher, including receiving a commendation from the Gyeonggi-do Superintendent of Education.

At that time, the court stated, "There are several students who expressed gratitude for A’s classes or had a positive attitude," and "Although he tried to be friendly with students, it appears that he acted rashly in this case due to a somewhat insufficient gender sensitivity required in the changing times."

The Supreme Court also agreed with this judgment. The court dismissed A’s appeal, stating, "The lower court did not err in its interpretation of the law regarding 'sexual abuse acts' and 'emotional abuse acts' under Article 17 of the Child Welfare Act."

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