"3 Years Imprisonment for Middle School Teacher Who Harassed Students and Asked for Menstrual Cycle Records for Extra Credit"

Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Seul-gi] A female middle school teacher in Cheongju, Chungbuk, was arrested for repeatedly sexually harassing female students by, among other things, offering extra credit if they submitted their menstrual cycles.

On the 7th, the Criminal Division 11 of Cheongju District Court (Presiding Judge Na Kyung-sun) sentenced teacher A (62), who was indicted without detention on charges of violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Youth Against Sexual Offenses (forcible molestation), to three years in prison and ordered her immediate detention in court.

The court also ordered A to complete a 40-hour sexual violence treatment program and imposed a five-year employment ban at institutions related to children and youth as well as welfare facilities for the disabled.

The court stated, "The guilt of hindering the healthy sexual development of the victims, who are students and children, is serious," and added, "Considering that no measures were taken to restore the victims and that the defendant denied all the offenses, a corresponding punishment is necessary."

A, who worked as a science teacher at a girls' middle school in Cheongju, was prosecuted on charges of making sexually humiliating remarks or molesting students, such as saying around 2017 during class, "If you write down your menstrual cycle, you will receive extra credit."

This fact was revealed through a comprehensive investigation by the education authorities, which began after students from local middle and high schools exposed sexual violence by teachers on social networking services (SNS) in a 'School Me Too' movement.

A denied most of the charges in court, but the court found her guilty.

The court pointed out, "There is no evidence that the request was made for educational or medical reasons as the defendant claimed," and added, "Students who submitted their menstrual cycles to receive extra credit had no choice but to endure shame, and those who did not submit to protect their sexual values and dignity had to suffer disadvantages."