Supreme Court Confirms Suspended Sentence for Former Kookmin University Music Professor in Student Golf Club Assault Case

Colleague Professor Also Given Probation Confirmed for Charges Including 'Forced Molestation of Student'

Supreme Court. / Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] Former professors of the College of Music at Kookmin University, who habitually assaulted or sexually abused their students, have been confirmed to receive suspended prison sentences.

On the 1st, the Supreme Court's 2nd Division (Presiding Justice Min Yusook) announced that it upheld the lower court's ruling sentencing former Kookmin University professor A, who was indicted on charges including injury and special assault, to one year in prison with a two-year suspension. Former adjunct professor B, who was also indicted on charges including assault and sexual harassment, received a confirmed sentence of six months in prison with a two-year suspension.

Previously, in 2015, A was prosecuted for assaulting senior students by forcing them to lie face down on the floor in the school's ensemble room, claiming they did not properly manage their juniors, and hitting them with a golf club. He was also accused of assaulting students without cause during a pension seminar and a restaurant drinking party the following year.

B was accused of repeatedly assaulting a student by hitting the back of their head and banging their head against a wall during drinking parties in 2016. In the same year, he was also charged with groping a female student's thigh and getting close to her face during a drinking party, asking, "How far have you gone with your boyfriend?" and "How am I as a man?"

A and B were also jointly indicted for obstructing school operations by falsely reporting achievements to inflate their records.

The first trial sentenced A to one year and six months in prison with a three-year suspension, and B to eight months in prison with a two-year suspension. The first trial court noted, "Considering the duration and frequency of the crimes, the nature of the offenses is not light."

However, the second trial reduced the sentences to one year in prison with a two-year suspension for A, and six months in prison with a two-year suspension for B, as some of their charges, including obstruction of business, were acquitted.

The Supreme Court also agreed with this judgment and dismissed all appeals. The court stated, "The lower court did not err in its legal interpretation regarding the establishment of obstruction of business and embezzlement charges, or the classification of 'dangerous objects' in special assault charges."

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