President of Kyonggi University sentenced to 8 months in prison in first trial for 'forcibly molesting student'... “The victim is greatly shocked.”

(Seoul, Suwon = Yonhap News) Reporter Bitna Kim and Jiwon Kim = The current president of Kyonggi University, who was put on trial on charges of forcibly molesting a student, was sentenced to prison in the first trial.

On the 13th, Judge Kang Seong-jin of Criminal Division 16 of the Seoul Central District Court sentenced Mr. A, who was indicted on charges of forcible harassment, to eight months in prison.

The court also ordered him to complete 40 hours of sexual violence treatment program.

However, Mr. A was not detained in court.

Mr. A is accused of forcibly molesting a student in his 20s around October 2024.

The court acknowledged the credibility of the victim's statement based on its specifics.

The court pointed out, “It is highly likely that the defendant, who is a university professor, was to blame for summoning the student aside and molesting him,” and added, “It appears that the victim was also quite shocked.”

He continued, "Even after the crime was committed, the victim suffered significant secondary damage by intentionally framing the defendant as a sex offender for financial gain."

The fact that the victim complained of mental pain and pleaded for severe punishment was also taken into consideration in sentencing.

Mr. A was elected as the president-nominee by the board of directors of Gyeonggi Academy in May, but as it became known that he was being tried on charges of forcibly molesting a student at the university where he previously worked, he received demands for his resignation from school members.

Mr. A denied the charges, but was relieved of his position by a decision of the school corporation's board of directors just one day after taking office.

The board of directors of Gyeonggi Academy, a school corporation, plans to initiate disciplinary proceedings against President A in relation to this ruling.

An official from Kyonggi University said, "Now that the prison sentence has been announced, the board of directors plans to hold a disciplinary committee soon to discuss the level of disciplinary action and then decide on the final course of action." He added, "The election of the next president will be discussed after the disciplinary process is completed, and Vice President Kim Hyun-soo will maintain the acting president system for the time being."

Meanwhile, the Kyonggi University Student Council, which has continuously called for President A's resignation, took this ruling as an opportunity to urge responsible follow-up measures from the school.

Ji Tae-hoon, president of Kyonggi University's student council, said, "We will watch until the end to see whether the school quickly initiates disciplinary procedures, including dismissal, and takes responsible action."