Teacher who assigned 'underwear laundry' homework and posted 'bukeubukeu' comments receives 1-year prison sentence with probation

Ulsan District Court. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] A teacher who caused controversy by assigning a "underwear laundry" homework to first-grade elementary school students and using inappropriate expressions was tried on charges including child abuse and was sentenced to one year in prison with a suspended sentence.

The Ulsan District Court Criminal Division 12 (Presiding Judge Hwang Un-seo) announced on the 21st that it sentenced Mr. A, who was indicted on charges of violating the Child Abuse Punishment Act and the Personal Information Protection Act, to one year in prison with a three-year probation.

The court also ordered Mr. A to attend 40 hours of sexual violence treatment lectures and imposed a five-year employment restriction related to child and youth facilities.

In April last year, Mr. A made 16 first-grade elementary school students wash their underwear and upload verification photos to the class social media.

He was indicted on charges of posting comments such as "pretty underwear, shy shy" directly on the uploaded homework photos.

Mr. A also faces charges of violating the Personal Information Protection Act for uploading verification photos of the underwear homework, which clearly showed the children's faces, to his YouTube channel without parental consent, allowing others to view them.

Mr. A's actions became known externally after a parent who saw the comments Mr. A posted on the underwear homework verification photos last year posted a message titled "Is this teacher's behavior normal?" on a portal site bulletin board.

Subsequently, a national petition demanding Mr. A's dismissal was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board, receiving support from more than 200,000 people. Mr. A was dismissed in May last year.

The first trial, conducted as a citizen trial, focused on whether the "underwear laundry" homework constituted child abuse.

One parent claimed, "Mr. A explained the concept of filial piety tasks in advance, and the children also perceived the homework as a form of play."

On the other hand, another parent said, "My child disliked the homework but forced themselves to do it fearing disadvantages. I was shocked to see the students' homework photos posted on SNS under the title 'Washing sexy underwear themselves.'"

The jurors unanimously recognized Mr. A's guilt on charges including child abuse. Regarding sentencing opinions, five jurors suggested one year in prison with three years probation, and two suggested two years in prison with three years probation.

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