A court ordered the parents of a middle school student to pay about 23 million won in damages after the student mocked a classmate and assaulted the classmate's mother who tried to stop it.
According to legal sources on Mar. 8, Judge Ryu Hee-hyeon of the Busan District Court Dongbu Branch ordered the parents of student B to pay a total of about 23 million won, including medical expenses and compensation for pain and suffering, in a damages suit filed by student A and three family members against the parents of student B.
In March 2023, student B mocked classmate A near a park in Busan. B also shoved A's mother to the ground and kicked her when she tried to stop it.
After the incident, the education authorities convened a school violence countermeasure committee and ordered student B not to contact, threaten, or retaliate against the victim and to perform 10 hours of community service. B challenged the measure in a suit to cancel it, but it was dismissed and finalized.
The civil court also held the perpetrator's parents liable. Judge Ryu said, "The perpetrating student's conduct constitutes an unlawful act, and the defendants neglected their duty to educate, protect and supervise their minor child."