'No Charges' Closure of Seoicho Incident... Police Delaying Information Disclosure

Police continue to delay citing 'third-party opinion hearing'
Teachers plan to urge investigation review for fact-finding

The bereaved family is strongly protesting the closure of the investigation into the death of a teacher at Seo-i Elementary School in Seocho-gu, Seoul, with the case being concluded as 'no charges,' and controversy is arising as the police are delaying the disclosure of information despite the family's request for information disclosure.

According to the bereaved family of the Seo-i Elementary School teacher on the 25th, the police recently postponed the decision period for the information disclosure request, explaining that "it is necessary to hear the opinions of third parties or hold a deliberation meeting." As a result, the family must wait until next month to find out whether the information will be disclosed.

Earlier, on the 14th, the Seocho Police Station in Seoul announced that no criminal charges were found in relation to the death of the Seo-i Elementary School teacher. This was nearly four months after the deceased passed away on July 18.

On September 4, the 49th day memorial of the late Seo Elementary School teacher, a citizen placed flowers at the flower altar set up at Seo Elementary School in Seoul. Photo by Younghan Heo younghan@

At the briefing, the police stated, "The deceased had been experiencing school-related stress since being assigned last year, and this year, a combination of issues related to managing the class, parents, school work, and personal matters led to the conclusion that the deceased made an extreme choice." They also explained that no evidence was found to support claims raised by some that the motive for death involved continuous harassment, verbal abuse, physical assault, or threats from parents.

In response, the bereaved family strongly protested and requested information disclosure from the Seocho Police Station on the 13th and 14th, asking to see the 'statements from parents and witnesses' and the 'call and text message logs between the deceased and the parents involved in the pencil incident.'

The pencil incident refers to an event on July 12, where a student in the deceased's class drew on another student's forehead with a pencil. There were suspicions that parents contacted the deceased multiple times regarding this incident, causing the deceased distress. The deceased made an extreme choice at school on July 18.

However, despite the family's strong request, the Seocho Police Station did not provide the requested materials to the family by the last day of the decision period for the information disclosure request, the 24th. According to relevant laws, the decision period for an information disclosure request is within 10 days, and it can only be extended by an additional 10 days in unavoidable circumstances.

Attorney Moon Yoo-jin, the legal representative of the bereaved family of the deceased teacher at Seoi Elementary School, is answering questions before submitting the application for bereaved family benefits to the Gangnam Seocho Office of Education in Gangnam-gu on August 31.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Moon Yoo-jin, the family's legal representative, expressed concerns about the police's reason for delaying the information disclosure, citing the 'hearing of third-party opinions.' Lawyer Moon said, "If the third party whose opinion is being heard is the perpetrator, it is unfair to decide on information disclosure based on their opinion," adding, "If the police announced 'no charges' and then do not disclose the information, the deceased's parents will live their entire lives in a fog of not knowing the truth and will not be able to resolve their grief."

Meanwhile, the teachers' organization 'Jeon-guk Gyosa Ildong' plans to publicly release signatures from 125,000 teachers and citizens on the 29th at the National Assembly Communication Hall, urging the investigation into the Seo-i Elementary School case. Along with this, they plan to urge the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency to hold an 'investigation review' to clarify the facts of the Seo-i Elementary School case. An investigation review can be requested by victims or their representatives if they believe the police investigation is inadequate, and the review and resolution are conducted by the Police Investigation Review Committee.

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