Nine High School Students Referred to Prosecution for School Violence in Cheongyang

One More Suspect Added, Bringing Total to Nine
Four Perpetrators Expelled from School

Chungcheongnam-do Provincial Police Agency building. / Photo by Pyo Yoonji

High school students in Cheongyang, Chungcheongnam-do, who repeatedly assaulted a classmate and extorted money over several years, have been referred to the prosecution.

According to the Chungcheongnam-do Provincial Police Agency on July 1, the investigative team sent nine suspects, including a 17-year-old identified as A, to the prosecution without detention the previous day on charges of special assault, extortion, and violations of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes.

The number of perpetrators was confirmed to be nine, one more than the initially announced eight.

From October 2022 to April of this year, the suspects allegedly called the 17-year-old victim, identified as B, names such as "slave," "bread shuttle," and "ATM," and repeatedly extorted money and valuables, taking a total of 6 million won in 165 separate incidents.

They also reportedly tied up the victim's wrists and body with blue tape at a local pension and other locations, threatened and assaulted the victim with weapons, cut the victim's hair, and made illegal recordings.

The police secured evidence such as videos, photos, and items used in the crimes through searches of the suspects' residences and other locations. They then determined the specific times, places, and number of incidents through witness interviews and other investigations.

The police applied for arrest warrants for four of the suspects, but the court denied the requests.

Currently, four of the perpetrators, who are high school students in Cheongyang, Chungcheongnam-do, have been expelled. On June 27, the Cheongyang Office of Education held a joint school violence countermeasure committee to investigate the school violence case in Cheongyang and notified the expulsion of the four students.