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Ex-police cadet loses suit to overturn expulsion for bullying

Published: 25 Dec. 2025, 15:12 Updated: 25 Dec. 2025, 16:26

The Central Police Academy in Chungju, North Chungcheong [JOONGANG ILBO]

A police cadet who was expelled from the Central Police Academy for bullying a fellow trainee lost a lawsuit seeking to overturn the dismissal.

The Cheongju District Court ruled against the plaintiff in a lawsuit filed by the cadet against the superintendent of the Central Police Academy, the court announced Thursday.

The cadet entered the academy in 2024 after passing the police recruitment exam in June that year.

About a week into the program, the cadet began verbally abusing a fellow trainee in the same dormitory room for returning to the room late after making a phone call. From that point on, the cadet repeatedly bullied the trainee.

Over the course of about a month, the cadet taunted the trainee an average of 10 times a day, reportedly saying things like “If we had met in high school, you would’ve just been a staircase I stepped on,” and threatening to “get everyone I know to make your life hell,” along with other vulgar language.

The cadet would grab the back of the trainee’s neck or intentionally bump into their shoulder in the hallway, then blame the victim for blocking the way.

Graduates of the Central Police Academy are seen saluting the flag at the academy's grounds in Chungju, North Chungcheong, on Aug. 19, 2022. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

In front of other cadets, the cadet also grabbed the trainee by the collar, slapped them on the back and took drinks and food from the trainee’s locker without permission.

The incidents came to the attention of academy authorities, and the cadet was expelled three months into the training program. The cadet filed an administrative suit, claiming the profanity was meant as a joke and the violence was minor, arguing that the dismissal was excessive. The court disagreed.

“The disciplinary action was carried out in accordance with academy rules, and considering the nature of the misconduct, there is no reasonable basis to find the dismissal excessively unfair,” the court said.

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 HYEON YE-SEUL [[email protected]]