'School Me Too' Former Yonghwa Girls' High School Teacher Sentenced to Prison in First Trial... Detained in Court

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] A former teacher at Yonghwa Girls' High School in Seoul, who was tried for forcibly molesting several students in the past, was sentenced to prison and taken into custody in court.

The Criminal Division 11 of the Seoul Northern District Court (Presiding Judge Ma Seong-young) sentenced former Yonghwa Girls' High School teacher A (57) to 1 year and 6 months in prison on the charge of violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse (forcible molestation) on the 19th, and took him into custody in court. He was also ordered to complete 40 hours of a sexual violence treatment program.

A was tried on charges of forcibly touching parts of the bodies of five students from March 2011 to September of the following year in school classrooms and the student guidance office.

The court stated, "The victims' testimonies are consistent in essential parts and the descriptions of the situations are specific," and "The defendant's actions caused sexual shame and are of a particularly bad nature among molestation crimes."

It further explained the sentencing reason, saying, "Although the victims did not show discomfort at the time of the crime, they were young and the defendant was their homeroom teacher, so he could have exerted influence," and "He neglected his duties as an educator and molested the victims."

Yonghwa Girls' High School was the place that triggered the 'School Me Too (#me too)' movement exposing sexual violence within the school. At that time, students at this school posted sticky notes to expose sexual violence that occurred on campus.