"Stripping Pants and Verbal Abuse" Group Sexual Harassment Reported by Elementary Students on First Day of School

Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-eun] On the first day of school, the 2nd, a third-grade elementary school boy was surrounded by older students and reportedly sexually harassed and bullied, prompting the police to launch an investigation.

According to the Gunsan Police Station in Jeonbuk on the 3rd, a report was received that around 5:50 p.m. the previous day, a third-grade student, A, was sexually harassed by about 10 students estimated to be in grades 4 to 6 at an apartment playground in Jigok-dong, Gunsan City.

A’s parents reportedly filed the report stating, "The offending students sexually harassed our son, surrounded him to prevent him from going home, and hurled insults at him."

At the time, the offending students reportedly pulled down A’s pants, rode scooters around him in circles while teasing and verbally abusing him, engaging in group bullying. It is also known that A’s younger sibling (8), who was present at the scene, witnessed these actions.

Immediately after the incident, A’s parents posted a message on a social networking service (SNS) group page saying, "Parents of the offending children who were at the scene, please contact us immediately," but no one reached out.

The police have assigned the case to the Women and Youth Division and are investigating the detailed circumstances through the complainant’s testimony and playground closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage.