A teacher has been removed from his post after threatening two middle school students under the false belief that they had sexually harassed his girlfriend, their homeroom teacher, North Chungcheong Province's Office of Education said on Monday.
The teacher at a middle school in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, is also under criminal investigation by the local police for child abuse.
The suspect in his 20s is accused of taking the two victims, students at a school in the nearby Okcheon-gun, also in North Chungcheong Province, in his car at around 6 p.m. on March 13 and driving them around for 30 minutes, threatening to kill them. He is also believed to have attempted to force them to pose for a photo with a piece of paper that read, "I am a sex offender."
The suspect believed that the two students had sexually harassed their homeroom teacher, who is the suspect's girlfriend. But an investigation found no evidence to support the allegation.
The suspect has apologized to the victims and submitted a written apology to his school. He will be summoned by police for further questioning before his case is forwarded to the prosecution.
Release from position, stipulated under Article 73-3 of the State Officials Act, refers to civil servants being temporarily unassigned to any position due to various reasons such as incompetence, a criminal investigation, pending suspension or demotion. While a person subject to this measure may face disadvantages in promotions or salary increases, the release from position itself is temporary and is not considered a disciplinary action.
The education office of North Chungcheong Province said it will take disciplinary action against the teacher if he is convicted in court.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
