By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter

A high school student in Gwangju committed suicide last Friday after being struck 110 times on the foot with a rod by a female teacher, police said Sunday.

The 16-year-old student, identified as Lee, was found hanging from a tree in a playground early in the morning in what appeared to be a suicide.

On Thursday, the teacher, 28, struck him on the sole of his foot 110 times because he skipped two hours of self-study classes. She was recently hired as a regular teacher after having worked on contract for several years.

After the punishment, friends of the student reported hearing him saying, ``I cannot live any more. I will end this with death.''

At home, he chatted with friends through an Internet messenger and was later found hanging.

Students told the education office and police that the school was notorious for harsh corporal punishment.

Lee allegedly had difficulty adapting and was considering transferring to an occupational school. He was also said to have had some family issues. Police are still looking into the reasons for the suicide.

kswho@koreatimes.co.kr