(123rf)

A Busan court on Tuesday held a hearing for a teacher at a private academy who was accused of sexually harassing a 5-year-old girl in May, with the defendant saying he had been drunk at the time.

The defendant, identified only as a US citizen in his 30s, told the Busan District Court that he drank seven bottles of soju before making the unwanted physical contact on the child during a class at a hagwon in Dongnae-gu, Busan, on May 22.

His lawyer told the court that his client was admitting the charges and requested time to reach a settlement with the victim.

The legal representative of the victim said her family has requested a stern punishment for the crime.

Investigation revealed that the defendant had been working at the academy, or hagwon, despite entering the country in March on a tourist visa.

The institute that hired the defendant is a branch of a hagwon franchise that has 60 branches across the country.

In light of the incident, the Busan Metropolitan City Office of Education commenced a background check on all foreign teachers at 525 hagwon across the city.