Hidden Cameras, Assault, and Sexual Manipulation Allegations... The Crisis Facing Schools in the Republic of Korea

Illegal Filming of High School Students in Goyang, Gyeonggi and Sejong
School Violence and Prison Sentences in Gunsan, Jeonnam and Gwangju
Inappropriate Teacher-Student Relationship at a Private High School in Daegu

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] Schools in the Republic of Korea are in danger. Illegal filming using hidden cameras and assaults, as well as inappropriate relationships between teachers and students, have put schools?places that should be centers of education?in crisis.

Recently, in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, a teenage high school student was caught by the police for secretly filming the bodies of female peers at school and on the streets. The Ilsan Dongbu Police Station in Gyeonggi is investigating a second-year high school student, A, without detention on charges of violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Crimes (filming using cameras, etc.). A is suspected of secretly filming multiple female peers’ bodies at school, on the streets, and at academies with his mobile phone for about two years since 2020. The school discovered numerous photos of female students’ full bodies or lower bodies on A’s phone and reported it, revealing A’s crimes. The school’s investigation confirmed three victims, and it is known that there are over 100 illegal photos.

In Sejong City, two male high school students were caught illegally filming female teachers with their mobile phones and were expelled and forcibly transferred, respectively. B, a second-year high school student, was caught last month secretly filming parts of a teacher’s body during counseling. The teacher immediately reported the incident to the school and police. The school’s internal investigation further confirmed that another male student, C, also illegally filmed. According to the investigation, B admitted to illegally filming five teachers, and C admitted to filming one. One of the victim teachers was filmed illegally by both B and C. The school held a teacher protection committee meeting, expelling B and forcibly transferring C. The five victim teachers are currently on sick leave and receiving psychological treatment.

In Gunsan, Jeollanam-do, two teenagers were arrested by police for assaulting a peer high school student over a romantic issue. D and another were charged with assaulting 17-year-old high school student E in Naun-dong, Gunsan City, around 6 p.m. on the 23rd. Police investigations revealed that they had argued over a romantic matter on social media and later called E out separately to commit the assault.

Earlier last month in Gwangju, ten high school students who subjected a classmate to over a year of group school violence, pushing him to attempt suicide, were sentenced to up to three years in prison. F, a high school student standing 180 cm tall and weighing over 90 kg, was known for his gentle personality despite his strong physique. He tolerated pranks from smaller classmates. However, what started as pranks?punching F’s shoulders because he was “tough”?escalated into uncontrollable violence. From May 2020 to June last year, F was repeatedly assaulted and abused by school violence perpetrators. During this time, he was labeled a “good target for bullying,” and students from other classes and schools also assaulted him. Videos of F losing consciousness became a laughingstock in perpetrators’ group chats on social media. F’s younger sibling and girlfriend were also targets of sexual harassment by the perpetrators. F left a letter saying, “It was so painful to be beaten at school,” before ending his life on June 29 last year at Eodeungsan in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju.

Meanwhile, at a private high school in Daegu, a female teacher is under police investigation for allegedly having an inappropriate relationship with a male student. G (31), a contract teacher at a private high school in Buk-gu, Daegu, is accused of having sexual relations with her male student H, violating the Child Welfare Act. G is suspected of having had sexual relations multiple times with H at motels and other places from early this year until recently. The person who reported this relationship was G’s husband, I. On the 4th, I reported to the police that his wife G had sexual relations with a minor, and on the 5th, he also filed a report through the National Sinmungo and the Daegu Metropolitan Office of Education website. The report is also said to include allegations of sexual manipulation.