Seoul National University Professor Convicted of Sexual Harassment of Student in Laboratory, Suspended Prison Sentence Confirmed

Supreme Court, Seocho-gu, Seoul. / Photo by Honam Moon munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] A Seoul National University professor who was tried for repeatedly sexually harassing a graduate student has had a suspended prison sentence confirmed by the Supreme Court.

On the 10th, the Supreme Court's First Division (Presiding Justice No Taeak) announced that it upheld the lower court's ruling sentencing Professor A of Seoul National University's College of Engineering to 1 year and 6 months in prison with a 3-year suspension for charges of sexual harassment by abuse of authority under the Sexual Violence Punishment Act.

Earlier, at the end of 2016, Professor A was prosecuted for repeatedly sexually harassing graduate student B in their 20s by touching B's thigh in a Seoul National University laboratory.

After the harassment, B reported the sexual harassment to the Seoul National University Human Rights Center. After verifying the facts, Seoul National University excluded Professor A from lectures the following year, removed him from his position, and formally referred him to the Faculty Disciplinary Committee in 2018.

Professor A denied the charges in court. His lawyer argued, "B was suffering from borderline personality disorder at the time," and "due to this, aggression and anger toward the defendant were expressed, resulting in a false report."

The first trial sentenced Professor A to 1 year and 6 months in prison with a 3-year suspension. Additionally, he was ordered to complete 40 hours of sexual violence treatment programs and was banned from employment at child- and disability-related institutions for 5 years.

The first trial court stated, "The defendant, a professor at a national public university who should set a social example, abused his authority to sexually harass his graduate student victim, which is a serious offense," and "the victim has suffered considerable mental distress and desires punishment for the defendant."

Furthermore, the court added, "The defendant has consistently denied the charges up to this court appearance and has shown no remorse, which is considered an unfavorable factor." Professor A appealed, but the second trial court dismissed the appeal.

The Supreme Court also agreed with this judgment. The court stated, "The lower court did not err in its legal judgment regarding the credibility of the victim's testimony."

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