[Anchor]
Star math instructor Hyun Woo-jin, who was indicted on charges of paying active-duty school teachers to acquire questions for study materials, has been found not guilty in his first trial. The court stated that "criminal punishment is the last resort for problem-solving," emphasizing that moral responsibility and legal punishment must be distinguished.
[Reporter] Jang Hun-gyeong.
[Reporter]
Often referred to as a top-tier math instructor, Hyun Woo-jin paid approximately 160 million won to one active-duty teacher and about 170 million won to another between 2020 and 2023 to receive questions for use in study guides.
He also transferred 75 million won to the account of another teacher's spouse.
Prosecutors indicted Hyun, concluding that he violated the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, which prohibits public officials from receiving money or valuables exceeding 3 million won per year.
[Hyun Woo-jin / Math Instructor (last April): (Do you still maintain that the transactions for the questions were legitimate?) ......]
However, the Seoul Central District Court acquitted Hyun and the teachers in the first trial.
The Improper Solicitation and Graft Act stipulates that money or valuables provided to fulfill financial obligations resulting from private transactions are not subject to prohibition. The court ruled that the funds provided by Hyun were payments for buying and selling questions, meaning they constituted "legitimate money and valuables resulting from private transactions," and therefore Hyun cannot be viewed as having violated the Graft Act.
The court explained that "law is the minimum of morality," adding that "even if there are inappropriate aspects to the conduct of public officials, it is neither possible nor desirable to criminally punish all of them."
It noted that regardless of whether moral responsibility can be pursued regarding active-duty teachers trading questions for large sums of money, they cannot be punished under the Graft Act.
[Eunji / Attorney for the Teacher's Side: While it may not be possible to judge every moral aspect, many teachers have likely reflected on themselves through this incident.]
Meanwhile, the first hearing for star English instructor Cho Jung-shik, who was indicted on similar question-trading charges like Hyun, is scheduled for October 16.
(Video by: Yang Hyun-chul, Video Editing by: Choi Hye-young)
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