In Goyang City, Gyeonggi Province, a male elementary school teacher in his 30s was urgently arrested on charges of sexually assaulting eight female students in his homeroom class. It is reported that the perpetrator lured the students by saying, "I will show you a music video."
A parent of a victim, Mr. A, revealed specific details of the abuse in an interview with MBC on the 26th. Mr. A said, "The homeroom teacher said, 'I'll play a singer's music video,' and gathered the students," adding, "He touched them from behind, including their thighs and genital areas over their clothes." He also stated that the teacher mainly targeted times when no other students were around, such as after school or during physical education classes.
The victims initially kept the sexual assault secret, but as the topic came up among friends, they began to confide in each other. Some of the group chat messages on SNS where the students shared their concerns were also partially revealed. The students expressed worries, saying things like, "What if he says it was a mistake?" and "I think the teacher will be disappointed in us."
Mr. A said his child only tearfully confessed on the 20th, saying, "Dad, I was sexually assaulted," and he expressed feelings of guilt for not sensing the abuse as a parent for seven months.
The victims reported the sexual assault to the principal's office only on the 24th. After hearing the students' statements, the school separated the students from the homeroom teacher and reported the case to the police. The police urgently arrested the teacher that afternoon on charges of violating the Sexual Violence Punishment Act (forcible molestation).
The teacher was appointed as an educator five years ago and worked at another elementary school in Gyeonggi Province before transferring to the current school last year. Although no other reports of abuse had been filed with investigative agencies or educational authorities at the time of the report, it was said that there had been some remarks about "excessive displays of affection" in the previous class.
During the police investigation, the homeroom teacher reportedly admitted to most of the forcible molestation charges.
On the 27th, the Uijeongbu District Court Goyang Branch issued an arrest warrant for the teacher on charges of violating the Sexual Violence Punishment Act. While eight victims were confirmed at the time of arrest, a subsequent full investigation by the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education revealed approximately four additional victims.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
