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Investigation launched after male student assaults female teacher in class

Published: 11 Apr. 2025, 16:49

Footage of a student, left, hitting a teacher in a high school in western Seoul on April 10. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education launched an investigation after a male high school senior allegedly assaulted a female teacher during class in western Seoul.

An emergency team from the local education support office visited the school on Friday morning to begin a probe and offer consulting to staff.

The incident occurred around 10 a.m. on Thursday at a high school in Sinjeong-dong in Yangcheon District, western Seoul. A third-year student struck a teacher in the face with a hand holding a mobile phone during class.

The assault reportedly took place after the teacher reprimanded the student for playing a game on the phone during class. A scuffle ensued, leading to the student’s assault.

Classmates recorded the moment the student hit the teacher. The school later instructed students who filmed the assault to delete the footage.

The student was immediately removed from the class. The teacher left school early that day to seek medical treatment and has since been on special leave. The student was not in a special needs class.

“If the student returns to school, he will be kept separated from faculty,” an official from the Seoul education office said. “The case will be reviewed by the local teachers’ rights protection committee and handled following due process.”

The official added that the incident would be prioritized over other cases currently under review by the rights committee.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.

BY JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]