The newly appointed president of Kyonggi University has been sentenced to prison in a first trial over the indecent assault of a student.
Judge Kang Sung-jin of the Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 16 on the 13th sentenced the defendant, identified only as A, to eight months in prison on charges of indecent assault by force. The court also ordered A to complete 40 hours of a sexual violence treatment program. A was not taken into custody in the courtroom.
A was indicted on charges of indecent assault against a student in October 2024. The court found the victim's testimony credible, saying the description of what took place between the professor and the student was natural and difficult to fabricate, and that the defendant had shown an unusual degree of personal interest in the victim.
The court also concluded that the charge of indecent assault by force was established, weighing the circumstances of the incident, the age gap between the defendant and the victim, and the relationship between the two. Explaining the sentence, the court said the offense — in which the defendant, a university professor, called the student aside and committed the assault — was highly blameworthy and likely caused the student severe shock.
The court added that the victim appeared to have suffered considerable secondary harm after the offense, as the defendant's side sought to portray the case as a sex crime deliberately fabricated for financial gain.
A was selected as president-designate by the board of Kyonggi Educational Foundation in May. Controversy erupted after it later emerged that A had been indicted on charges of indecently assaulting a student at a university in the greater Seoul area. A denied the allegations but was removed from the post by a board resolution on July 23, a day after taking office.
The board of Kyonggi Educational Foundation plans to begin disciplinary proceedings against A in connection with the first-instance ruling.