Sungshin Women's University professor sentenced to 4 years for assaulting students sues to reverse dismissal — and loses again

A former Sungshin Women's University professor sentenced to four years in prison by the Supreme Court on charges of raping and sexually assaulting his students has lost his lawsuit challenging his dismissal at both the first and second levels of litigation.

According to legal sources, the Seoul High Court's Administrative Division 6-3, presided over by Judge Park Young-ju, ruled against Professor A on July 15 in his suit seeking to overturn his removal from office. The court also ordered him to bear the legal costs.

Professor A was dismissed from Sungshin Women's University in May 2018. One of the victims had joined the MeToo movement, reported the abuse to the university and filed a complaint with the school's sexual ethics committee. Students staged a protest at the time, covering his office with hundreds of sticky notes demanding his removal.

The university dismissed Professor A and simultaneously filed a criminal complaint with prosecutors. The disciplinary committee found that acts of rape and sexual assault had been substantiated and concluded that he had engaged in conduct incompatible with his duties as a professor.

Professor A was investigated in connection with the case and in September 2024 received a final sentence of four years in prison. Throughout the trial he maintained that the sexual contact had been consensual, but courts at every level — including the Supreme Court — found him guilty.

According to the facts established in the criminal proceedings, Professor A took students from a club he supervised to his private study and assaulted them on multiple occasions between January and March 2017. The abuse — including rape and sexual assault — was repeated more than 10 times and involved sadistic remarks and acts.

The appellate court in the criminal case noted in its sentencing rationale that Professor A "exploited the trust and respect his victims, as his students, had for him as a father figure to commit rape and sexual assault." It added that "one of the victims even gave up her plans to pursue graduate school, yet Professor A continues to offer unreasonable excuses in court."

Professor A also lost in civil court. In April, the Supreme Court upheld lower court rulings ordering him to pay 100 million won ($72,300) in damages to one of the victims. Both the first and second civil courts found that he was obligated to pay compensation for the mental suffering caused by his crimes of rape and sexual assault.

Professor A also filed an administrative lawsuit, which he likewise lost. He brought the suit in May 2020 seeking to have his dismissal overturned, but courts ruled against him at both the first and second levels.

The first-instance court in 2024 cited the final criminal verdict, finding that "Professor A was in a position of protection and supervision over the victim from the time she was preparing to enter graduate school" and that "the charge that he used this professional authority to rape the victim was proven beyond reasonable doubt." The court concluded that "the dismissal is justified, given that each of the disciplinary grounds has been established."

Professor A appealed, but the second court reached the same conclusion. During the appellate proceedings, he argued that the victim had sent him photos she had taken of herself — claiming her behavior was inconsistent with that of a sexual assault victim — but the court rejected the argument.

The court said "the evidence submitted by Professor A alone is insufficient to overturn the factual findings of the criminal verdict," adding that "the way a sex crime victim responds inevitably varies depending on the victim's personality, their relationship with the perpetrator, and the specific circumstances."

The court further held that "Professor A committed crimes including rape and sexual assault despite holding a position in which he was obligated to protect, guide and educate students, thereby undermining public trust in the university and gravely damaging his dignity as a professor — the dismissal is therefore justified."

The ruling has not yet been finalized. Professor A has appealed, and the case is pending before the Supreme Court.