By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter
A video clip showing a male high school student taunting and grabbing his female teacher by the shoulder in front of his classmates triggered a storm of controversy.
The student involved posted the 45-second video clip on his blog with the title, "Flirting With Teacher."
In the clip, the teacher, obviously irritated, tries to push away the student but with little success. The student looks far taller than the teacher. When she walks away, the student follows her, trying to touch her, the clip showed. This all took place in class with other students looking on or passing by.
The student was identified as a sophomore at the Korea Art High School in eastern Seoul.
After the video clip triggered criticism online, the school decided to slap a 10-day suspension on the student along with the person who taped it.
"I don't believe this case is as serious as was reported in the media. The teacher in question said an apology from the student would be enough," said Kong Joon-pyo, the principal of the school, during a telephone interview.
Many Internet users bashed the student. "It is really shocking, how did the parents of the student educate him," said a netizen in his blog post.
Another found fault in the bystanders: "Students around him including the one who taped it should be disciplined, as well."
Teachers' groups called for a stern punishment for the students involved in the case. "It is quite obvious that the student's action is sexual harassment. This apparently shows that students don't respect and trust teachers.The school and authorities should take stern action against the student," said the Korea Teachers and Education Workers Union in a statement.