Middle School Girl Student Asks, "Can I Rely on You?"
The position of a middle school teacher in Daejeon, who has been suspected of having an inappropriate relationship with a same-sex student, has ultimately been suspended.
According to the Daejeon Metropolitan Office of Education on the 23rd, the office, led by the vice superintendent, held an emergency meeting and decided to suspend the teacher in their 20s, Mr. A, from their position starting that day. After receiving complaints that Mr. A had maintained an inappropriate relationship by continuously sending inappropriate letters and text messages to his former student, Ms. B, the office launched an investigation.
A representative from the education office told Yonhap News Agency, "We determined this to be a violation of the dignity maintenance of educational officials and have taken the measure of suspension from position," adding, "Based on the results of further investigation and police inquiry, we plan to refer the case to the disciplinary committee." From the 24th, the office plans to conduct a full survey over two days targeting students at Mr. A’s previous and current schools to identify any other related harm.
Mr. A is suspected of continuing inappropriate contact through phone calls and text messages even after Ms. B, who graduated in January last year, entered high school. It is reported that Mr. A revealed to Ms. B that he is a sexual minority and shared personal concerns, crying while saying things like, "Can I rely on you more?", "Can I think of you as more special?", "I love you very much," and "There is no explanation other than saying I love you."
Ms. B’s family, upon learning of these matters, met with Mr. A directly to ask him to stop contacting her, but when he ignored their request, they informed the education office and the school around November last year and demanded action.
Mr. A, who had been transferred to or working at another middle school since early this year, is currently on sick leave and not attending work. The police, who received a request for investigation from the education authorities, have also started an inquiry to ascertain the facts.
A police official stated, "We will investigate whether there was any inappropriate sexual contact and consider applying charges accordingly."
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