KB News Desk
An elementary school teacher was handed a suspended prison term on Monday for molesting two female students during class.
The Cheonan branch of the Daejeon District Court sentenced the 48-year-old teacher to 2 1/2 years in prison, suspended for four years, for indecently assaulting students under the age of 13.
The court also ordered him to complete 40 hours of treatment for sex offenders and barred him from working at institutions serving children, teenagers or people with disabilities for three years.
The man, who was a sixth-grade homeroom teacher, was indicted for poking two female students in the sides and making them sit on his lap during an after-school class in April 2021.
The teacher denied any sexual intent, saying he had tried to help the students regain focus after pandemic-era disruptions to in-person learning affected their study habits. He also denied having either student sit on his lap.
The court, however, rejected his claims, finding that such physical contact by an adult man could cause young students to feel sexually humiliated or distressed. It added that a sexual motive was not required for the conduct to constitute indecent assault.
