Gwangju bully's father obstinate after punishment for forcing classmates to ingest feces
Published: 25 Aug. 2025, 11:28
Updated: 25 Aug. 2025, 18:08
![A depiction of a victim of school bullying. This image is unrelated to the story. [GETTY IMAGES BANK]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/08/25/fd48e509-9f52-4685-b902-a4391ebc9ab5.jpg)
A depiction of a victim of school bullying. This image is unrelated to the story. [GETTY IMAGES BANK]
A disturbing case of school bullying in Gwangju, Gyeonggi, involving a middle school student who used martial arts to choke classmates unconscious and forced them to ingest animal feces, is drawing even more outrage after the perpetrator's parents defended their child’s actions and claimed that “those who cannot forgive are foolish.”
According to the Gyeonggido Office of Education on Sunday, a first-year student at a local middle school carried out violent assaults, verbal abuse, sexual harassment and extortion against seven classmates between March and June.
The office said that the student assaulted his victims for “no apparent reason” and demanded that they use honorific language when speaking to him. He also forced classmates to pay for his purchases at the supermarket.
He used a judo technique he had learned through recreational sports classes to choke a fellow student unconscious before sexually assaulting the schoolmate. He also shoved candy into students’ mouths and nostrils and, in some cases, forced them to ingest animal feces.
The victims endured the abuse for several months without reporting it out of fear of retaliation. The case came to light only after their parents noticed bruises and injuries on their children's arms and legs.
After receiving a report on June 24, the school convened a disciplinary review panel and ordered the offender to transfer to another school. Although expulsion is the most severe form of disciplinary action that the panel can issue, compulsory education laws for elementary and middle schools in Korea limit the penalty to a forced transfer.
The perpetrator’s parents have filed an appeal against the committee’s decision. In an apology letter disclosed by JTBC’s news program “Crime Chief” (2014-), the perpetrator’s father questioned the accusations against his son, saying, “How was he supposed to accept that close friends suddenly accused him of sexual harassment?”
“Any father who graduated from an all-boys middle school would understand,” the father's letter read, claiming that he and his classmates “played around” in ways similar to his son's actions.
Contending that the offenses are a matter of perspective, the letter continued, “It’s wrong not to accept an apology when someone is sincerely asking for forgiveness. Those who refuse are foolish. It is admirable to admit wrongdoing, but it is even more admirable to forgive it.”
Following the backlash, the parents of the victims have filed criminal complaints against the perpetrator.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JANG GU-SEUL [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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