School violence action taken against 'a classmate who cursed and hit him'... Prosecutors not indict because there were no eyewitnesses

A high school student who was handed over to prosecutors for making insulting remarks to a classmate was not indicted.

On February 26, the Cheonan branch of the Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office decided not to indict teenager A, who was accused of insults and assault. In 2023, Student A was accused of swearing personally and hitting his classmate B in front of many other students.

Person A denied the charges. Student B was behaving disruptively during class, and in an attempt to stop him, he made a rather strong remark. At the same time, he also emphasized that there was no fact of hitting the buttocks.

The police believed that Group A was not guilty. The police said, "Due to this incident, the victim had a period of suspension from school, and there was no mention of the crime in the counseling that took place during this period." He added, "Looking at the homeroom teacher's statement, the students' petition, etc., there is insufficient evidence to substantiate the charges based solely on the suspect's claims."

Group B objected and filed an objection, and the case was sent to the prosecution. However, the prosecution also decided not to indict. The prosecution explained, "Criminal punishment requires solid proof, but the teacher who was in class at the time of the crime stated that he did not hear the remarks," and "There is no objective evidence, as classmates who were present at the scene did not directly witness the crime."

Attorney Kwak So-young of Daeryun Law Firm, the law firm that represented Person A in this case, said, "The School Violence Measures Review Committee decided to take measures such as volunteering for Person A, but this decision was made at the level of guidance. In criminal proceedings, the admission of a crime requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt, but this could not be proven with the testimony of Person B alone."

Reporter Hwang Jeong-won (jwhwang@mt.co.kr)

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School violence action taken against 'a classmate who cursed and hit him'... Prosecution not indicted because “there were no witnesses” (Shortcut)