"Accidentally slipped my hand"... Middle school student explains after sexually assaulting elementary student

Victims' Families Also Mention "Adolescent Curiosity"
"Harsh Punishment Unlikely Due to Juvenile Status"

A first-year middle school boy was found to have sexually harassed a first-grade elementary school student by putting his hand inside the child's underwear.

[Image source=JTBC 'Sageon Banjang']

On the 30th, JTBC's 'Incident Room' reported that a first-year middle school boy sexually harassed a first-grade elementary school student. The victim's mother, Ms. A, took her child to a children's center and went to work on the 30th of last month. At that time, four children's centers in Yeongwol, Gangwon Province, supported by a large corporation's foundation, were gathered in one place for classes lasting two days starting the previous day. A total of 50 students participated in the class, including both elementary and middle school students.

Ms. A said, "When I went to pick up my child in the afternoon, I heard from the center director that the first-year middle school boy sitting next to my child during the afternoon art class had sexually harassed her." A teacher who witnessed the incident said, "The child's posture looked different, so I looked closely. The girl's hands were fully on the table, but the boy had only one hand on it. Then I noticed the lower part of the girl's pants moving. I thought my suspicion was correct, so I immediately grabbed the hand moving inside the pants," recounting the situation.

The teacher quietly took both children to the hallway, where the boy admitted, saying, "I was wrong." The victim testified, "I didn't want it, but I stayed still because I was afraid of being scolded by the older boy." Following the teacher's instructions, the boy gave a formal apology to the girl, and the two students were separated.

[Image source=JTBC 'Sageon Banjang']

Ms. A added, "Since the day before the incident, my daughter and the boy were in the same group, and he asked for her phone number and even had a video call with her." She also said, "When they were moving after eating at a restaurant, the boy kept touching my daughter's arm, and the teacher warned him." When Ms. A confronted the boy, asking, "Do you know this is a crime? Do you know you will be punished?" he replied, "I know," but gave a ridiculous excuse, saying, "I was holding her hand, but it slipped and went into her pants."

During the police investigation, the victim stated, "During lunch break, (the older boy) said, 'Let's play hand clapping,' and held my hand. Then he lowered his hand and kept touching the area above my pants," adding, "I told him to stop, but he didn't listen." She continued, "I wanted to ask to change seats repeatedly, but I was too scared to speak up," and explained, "As soon as class started, (the older boy) put his hand inside my pants and kept touching my groin. I told him to stop, but then his hand went inside my underwear."

Ms. A expressed her outrage, saying, "Even so, the boy's aunt said, 'Isn't it just curiosity during puberty because he's young?'" She eventually informed the perpetrator's side that "forgiveness is impossible" and reported the case to the police. She added, "My child cried all night and couldn't sleep at all. She said she couldn't even urinate and wished the older boy would go to prison," and lamented, "She often couldn't attend school because of headaches and pain. Since the incident, my child has been receiving continuous psychological treatment."

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