A law professor at a private university in Seoul has been sentenced to prison in the first trial and taken into court custody on charges of forcibly groping a graduate student under his supervision.

Judge Jung Ah-young of Criminal Division 20 at the Seoul Central District Court sentenced the former professor, identified as A, to one year and six months in prison on October 8 on charges of forcible indecent assault.

The court also ordered A to complete a 40-hour sexual violence treatment program and imposed a five-year employment restriction at institutions related to children, adolescents, and people with disabilities.

A was sued for sexual violence by a graduate student belonging to the same university in September of last year, while he was still serving as a professor at the school.

The court pointed out, "The crime was committed by an advisor against a student who had no choice but to rely on him for guidance and evaluation, making it highly deserving of censure," adding, "The psychological pain suffered by the victim is severe, and since the defendant denies major parts of the crime, there are substantial grounds to sentence him to prison."

The court further noted, "It is questionable whether the defendant is showing remorse, given his attitude of minimizing the circumstances of the incident," and stated, "Immediately after the crime, the victim protested directly, visited a psychiatric department the same day, and appears to have suffered considerable distress while subsequently experiencing difficulties in her campus life."

The court explained that it reflected limited mitigating factors in sentencing, such as the fact that the defendant admitted to the physical contact and showed signs of repentance by submitting a statement of reflection, alongside depositing 30 million won despite the victim refusing to accept it.

A has been excluded from lectures starting from the first semester of this year and is currently dismissed following disciplinary committee procedures.

(Photo: Yonhap News)