Teacher jailed for sex with elementary student

By Chyung Eun-ju, Park Si-soo

An elementary school teacher was sentenced to three years in prison for having sexual relations with a 12-year-old girl.

Suwon District Court handed down the verdict on Monday, finding the teacher 32, surnamed Shin, guilty of violating the Sexual Crime Act against Minors. He was also ordered to undergo 80 hours of anti-sexual crime education.

According to court documents, the teacher got to know the student, then 11, through an unidentified app in October last year. The teacher introduced himself as a 19-year-old and suggested offline dating. The two met at a cafe in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, and had sex. He took photos of the girl’s naked body.

“He cannot be forgiven,” wrote Judge Song Kyung-ho in a ruling statement. “Despite his position as an elementary school teacher, he tricked the teenage girl, who has not reached the age to fully understand sexual relations.”

The teacher claimed he didn’t know his partner was an elementary student, but the court dismissed it.