Duksung Women’s University professor accused of sexually abusing student

A women’s college in Seoul accused a member of its teaching staff of sexually abusing a student, sources said Monday, amid rising concerns over a series of similar cases reported in other schools.

Last month, Duksung Women’s University filed a police complaint against a professor, whose personal information has been withheld, for molesting a student. 

The professor is alleged to have forcibly kissed his student after drinking last year.

The school’s unusually proactive response to the alleged sex crime could be a wake-up call for Korea’s universities, as many of them were considered to have been passive in dealing with similar cases in recent times.

Having received a report from the victim, the Duksung conducted an internal probe and secured the professor’s testimony, in which he admitted his wrongdoing, school officials said.

He denied his charges to police, public investigators said. The police will summon the professor again soon, they added.

The concerned faculty member was removed from his post earlier this month, the school said.

By Lee Hyun-jeong (rene@heraldcorp.com)