4 Elementary Students Fed Sand-Mixed Snacks, Sent to Juvenile Court

Four students involved in the so-called 'sand school violence' incident that occurred last year at an elementary school in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, including the child of a current city council member, have been referred to the juvenile court.

Exterior view of Bundang Police Station, Gyeonggi Province. Provided by Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency.

According to Yonhap News on the 10th, the Bundang Police Station in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, announced that four students, including student A, were sent to the juvenile division of the court earlier this month on charges including assault. Another student who was also accused was not prosecuted as the charges were not recognized.

They are accused of mixing snacks with sand and forcing a peer to eat it, as well as physically restraining the victim under the pretext of performing a game penalty at an elementary school in Seongnam between April and June last year. After receiving a complaint from the victim's side in September last year, the police judged that some of the charges specified in the complaint were valid and referred the case to the prosecution. Among the accused students sent to the prosecution was the child of Councilor B of Seongnam City Council.

The education authorities, who received the report at the time of the incident, held a School Violence Countermeasure Committee (Hakpokwi) and took measures such as class transfers and written apologies according to the degree of involvement of the perpetrators, but these were criticized as 'lenient punishments.'

Meanwhile, the fact that one of the perpetrators was the child of a city council member caused the controversy to spread further. After the incident became public, local communities, mainly parents, criticized the disciplinary actions against the perpetrators as too weak and held rallies demanding the resignation of Councilor B.

Citizens are holding a candlelight vigil urging the resolution of a school violence issue involving the child of a Seongnam City Council member in Gyeonggi Province. Photo by Yonhap News

Facing a flood of criticism, Councilor B left the People Power Party, his affiliated party, in October and issued an apology stating, "I sincerely bow my head and apologize to the victimized student and their family, and I also apologize to the citizens." He added, "As a parent, I bear great responsibility for not properly educating my child. My child has also apologized to the victim and regrets and reflects on the past. I will ensure that such incidents never happen again."

Subsequently, in December last year, Councilor B filed an administrative appeal with the Seongnam Office of Education, requesting the cancellation of the disciplinary measures imposed on his child by the School Violence Countermeasure Committee, arguing that the measures were excessive.