A former teacher who was accused by a former husband of sexually abusing a high school student was not indicted by prosecutors.
According to legal sources on the 25th, the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office on the 14th dismissed for lack of evidence the case against former teacher A, 34, who was accused of violating the Act on the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes and the Child Welfare Act.
A was accused by the former husband of staying at hotels in Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon and engaging in sexual acts with high school student B from Aug. 2023 to Jan. 2024, and of taking the child along.
The former husband submitted as evidence closed-circuit (CC)TV footage from hotel lobbies and restaurants showing A and B hugging or kissing, as well as hotel reservation records. He also said that a private firm analyzed DNA from costumes A purchased and cigarette butts collected near B's residence and found they matched to a significant degree.
In the investigation, A argued there was no physical contact or relationship beyond hugging and kissing and that they had never stayed together.
Prosecutors said circumstances raised suspicion of a relationship, but it was difficult to acknowledge that sexual acts occurred before Sept. 2023, when B turned 18. They also conducted a forensic analysis of A's phone, but most messages with B had been deleted, and they found no evidence in statements or otherwise to establish child abuse. B refused to submit DNA, and the court denied compelled collection, making confirmation difficult.
After the incident, A lost the divorce suit against the former husband. The court ordered A and B to pay consolation money of 70 million won and 10 million won, respectively, to the former husband.
However, prosecutors said that apart from the facts recognized in the civil suit, it would be hard to acknowledge the charge unless the specific circumstances of sexual abuse were confirmed. The child abuse charge was also not indicted.
The former husband plans to appeal the prosecutors' decision.