Vice Principal Forced Female Student to Make False Statement About Teacher's Sexual Harassment

Controversy Over Coercion of False Statements for False Accusation
Pressure Citing Student External Scholarship
Gwangju District Court Sentences 8 Million Won Fine on Appeal

A high school vice principal who forced a female student to make false statements of sexual harassment with the intent to falsely accuse a teacher with whom he had a bad relationship was sentenced to a fine.

According to Yonhap News on the 12th, the Criminal Division 3 of the Gwangju District Court (Chief Judge Kim Tae-ho) overturned the original ruling and sentenced Mr. A, who was indicted for violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes (aggravated punishment for child abuse by workers at child welfare facilities) and coercion, to a fine of 8 million won in the appeal trial. Mr. A was sentenced to one year in prison with a two-year probation in the first trial.

Gwangju District Court Exterior View

Mr. A was indicted on charges of repeatedly forcing student B, who was enrolled at a high school in Jeonnam, to give false testimony against teacher C while serving as the vice principal of the high school from January to February 2021.

Mr. A had heard rumors that teacher C, with whom he had a bad relationship, "linked arms and put his arm around a female student’s shoulder." Accordingly, Mr. A demanded that student B "write a handwritten note stating that teacher C sexually harassed students." He also forced her to write the note, saying, "I want to warn teacher C, but if I only say it verbally, he will deny it, so to raise awareness, I need a note in the student's handwriting."

When student B refused, Mr. A pressured her by mentioning an external scholarship for low-income students, saying, "If you are uncooperative, I cannot give you benefits either. You want to receive the scholarship next month, don’t you?" Eventually, student B wrote the note as instructed by Mr. A, but she suffered extreme stress, including self-harm, while struggling with guilt over falsely accusing the teacher and contemplating dropping out or transferring schools.

The court stated, "Mr. A, the high school vice principal, forced a student to write a note falsely accusing a teacher, which is a serious offense," and added, "The victim appears to have suffered significant mental distress, including guilt and anxiety."

Regarding the sentencing, the court explained, "However, considering comprehensively that Mr. A admitted to the abuse and showed remorse during the appeal trial, reached a settlement with the victim, seemed to have committed the crime while trying to resolve potential problems at the school as a vice principal, and that students petitioned for leniency, we have taken these factors into account."

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