Teacher indicted for repeatedly abusing female student; police called it consensual, prosecutors disagree

The Gunsan Branch of the Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office said Friday it had indicted and detained a middle school teacher in North Jeolla Province on charges of violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Youth Against Sex Offenses, specifically for sexual intercourse obtained through deception or coercion.

The teacher, identified only as A, is accused of sexually assaulting his student, referred to as B, more than 20 times over a two-month period.

Police had initially forwarded the case on charges of statutory rape, viewing the encounters as consensual. After a supplementary investigation, however, prosecutors determined the acts were committed through the exercise of authority and changed the charges accordingly.

The charge A now faces carries a heavier penalty — life imprisonment or a minimum of five years — compared with the statutory rape charge, which carries a minimum of three years.

"Given the defendant's position relative to the victim and the number of offenses, we determined the crimes were serious," a prosecutors' office official said. "We will continue to respond strictly to sex crimes targeting children and youth."