Middle school teacher probed over sexual violence claims

With the #MeToo movement spreading across the nation, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education on Tuesday launched a probe into allegations that a middle school teacher sexually harassed students.

Officials at the Office of Education received reports of sexual misconduct allegedly committed by the teacher through posts from a “#School-Me Too” Facebook account, where students and parents openly share personal experiences of sexual misconduct.

The teacher is accused of sexually harassing a victim who was 16-years-old at the time, from 2010 to 2011. The victim said that the teacher had sent her inappropriate text messages, such as “I love you.” She added that the teacher called her to his home or vehicle and touched her inappropriately.
 

After every incident, the teacher reportedly threatened the victim to “keep their little secret” and constantly reminded her to keep her phone locked at all times.

The victim said that the power dynamics between faculty and students cause anxiety for many students.

Another student, who was in middle school at the time, stated on Facebook that the teacher called her to his house and said, “Let’s have sex when you’re in high school,” while touching her inappropriately.

In response to the growing number of allegations against the teacher, the Office of Education on Monday designated a special task force to launch a widespread investigation into the whole student body to look for more victims of sexual violence.

The team has filed a request for the teacher to be fired immediately. Following police investigation, the teacher is expected to leave the school for good.

School officials plan to provide student-victims and families with financial aid for counseling and carry out new education classes to prevent sexual violence.

By Catherine Chung (cec82@heraldcorp.com)