A professor at a national university in Gyeongnam sent a KakaoTalk message to students. [Photo by Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] A professor at a national university in Gyeongnam has been accused of habitual sexual harassment and molestation of students.
According to Yonhap News on the 1st, a woman in her 20s, Ms. A, who graduated from a national university in Gyeongnam, received daily phone calls and text messages from Professor B during her time as a student.
Professor B mainly requested personal meetings with messages such as "Let's go eat something delicious," "Let's go hang out together in my car," and "Let's drink together." He also frequently made private remarks about her appearance and boyfriend.
When Ms. A did not answer the phone, he sent texts saying he wanted to ask about school-related matters. When they met outside reluctantly, he attempted physical contact by putting his arm around her shoulder, hugging her, and touching the back of her hand.
As these incidents repeated, Ms. A experienced extreme stress and eventually took a one-year leave of absence.
Ms. A's friend reportedly suffered similar harm. According to Yonhap News, Professor B asked Ms. A's friend to meet under the pretext of discussing report plagiarism, and when she refused, he pressured her by saying, "It could affect your grades."
In addition, it is known that currently seven students have provided detailed statements to the school claiming to have been victimized by the professor.
KakaoTalk messages sent by Professor B to students included phrases such as "Did you dream about the professor yesterday? Yes or No?" "Do you want to dream about me from now on? Yes or No?" and "Dream about the professor."
He also sent texts calling students "Sangkeumi" and "Gwiyomi," and messages like "You know I like 00, right? It's a secret," and "You're a healthy beauty."
There were also cases where he coerced meetings under the pretense of employment opportunities, asked personal questions, and made physical contact.
The victimized students gave testimonies similar to Ms. A's, stating that he "touched their knees," "petted their hair," and "held their hands or repeatedly gave high fives."
The school plans to form a disciplinary committee soon to discuss the level of disciplinary action against Professor B.
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