Prosecution: "Reporters and Teachers Should Have Each Done Their Own Part"
Two years ago, during a field trip in Sokcho, Gangwon Province, an elementary school student died in an accident, and two teachers at the time were brought to trial. The testimonies of the bus driver and the teachers conflicted.
On the 2nd, Yonhap News reported that Judge Shin Dong-il of the Chuncheon District Court Criminal Division 1 presided over the third trial of teachers A and B on charges of professional negligence causing death, and bus driver C on charges of death under the Special Act on Traffic Accident Handling.
Bus driver C appeared as a witness that day and claimed, "Unlike the two buses that arrived earlier, I parked the bus in front of the building where there were no parking lines and then let the teachers and students get off because teacher B asked me to open the door."
When the prosecutor pointed out that the students got off before the bus was properly parked, C admitted, "It was my fault for not telling them not to get off."
The teachers' defense attorney presented a different argument. The attorney said, "Teacher B claims that 'C parked the bus first and opened the door, so we got off.' Shouldn't the teacher have told them to stay seated and wait even if the driver stopped the bus?" In response, C said, "That may be the rule, but drivers have to follow what the teachers say."
The teacher and driver sides also had conflicting claims about the distance the vehicle moved. Driver C testified that the bus moved only about 1 to 2 meters, but the teachers' attorney focused on questioning C about the bus moving a considerable distance.
C expressed condolences to the bereaved family. He also stated that these testimonies were not intended to shift the accident's responsibility onto the teachers and admitted to negligence.
Previously, on November 11, 2022, around 2:06 p.m., in a theme park parking lot in Nohak-dong, Sokcho, Gangwon Province, elementary school student A (then 13 years old) was struck and killed by a bus. A had visited the theme park for a field trip and was hit by a parking bus.
Following the investigation, the prosecution indicted two elementary school teachers, B and C, who supervised the students, on charges of professional negligence causing death, and bus driver D (72), who caused the accident, on charges of death under the Special Act on Traffic Accident Handling.
The prosecution stated that although it is difficult for teachers to predict and control all student behavior, the accident could have been prevented if both the driver and teachers had fulfilled their basic duties, making prosecution unavoidable.
The Elementary School Teachers' Union and the Gyeonggi Teachers' Union held a press conference in front of the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education on May 23, demanding measures for field trips that can guarantee the safety of teachers. [Photo by Elementary School Teachers' Union]
Meanwhile, regarding this case, the Korea Elementary School Principals Association and the Gangwon Elementary School Principals Association issued a statement on the 27th of last month, saying, "The current legal system that excessively holds teachers responsible will inevitably hinder normal educational activities in the future," and expressed concern that "if the supervising teacher is held responsible by this ruling, no teacher will want to lead field trips going forward."
Additionally, on April 20, Shin Kyung-ho, Superintendent of Gangwon Education, submitted a petition to the court, stating, "Field trips are legitimate educational activities that must be conducted as they provide valuable educational experiences outside of school fairly," and added, "However, if teachers develop severe anxiety and burden over accidents that may occur at any time, normal field trips will become difficult to carry out, and ultimately, the harm will return to the students."
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