Parents Pay ₩18 Million for Son’s Months-Long Sexual Harassment of Female Classmate
A civil court has ordered the parents of a middle school student who sexually harassed and groped a female classmate over several months to pay the victim ₩18 million in damages — finding the parents failed in their duty to supervise and educate their son. Here are the key points.
Facts
- Between March and May 2025, middle school student A sent classmate B sexual messages via SNS stating he wanted to touch specific body parts and demanding she act as his “sex slave,” and repeatedly touched her body without consent in classrooms and hallways.
- B was diagnosed with depression as a result and underwent psychiatric treatment.
- B’s family sued A’s parents for ₩35 million in civil damages.
Court Decision
- Cheongju District Court (Civil Division 6, Judge Lee Ju-hyeon) ruled partially in B’s favor, ordering A’s parents to pay approximately ₩18 million.
- The court held that A’s parents had an ongoing duty to supervise and guide their child — including providing proper sexual education — and that their failure to fulfill this duty was a contributing cause of the unlawful conduct.
- Solatium was set at ₩12 million, taking into account the nature of the sexual messages, the manner in which the groping occurred, and the surrounding circumstances. An additional ₩6.7 million in psychiatric treatment costs was also ordered.
Key Takeaways
- Parents of minor children bear civil liability for harm caused by their children’s unlawful conduct where they failed to fulfill their duty of supervision and guidance — including age-appropriate sexual education.
- That duty is ongoing and not limited to specific incidents — it encompasses the general standard of parenting that would reasonably prevent this category of harm.
- Psychiatric treatment costs resulting from sexual harassment are recoverable as actual damages in addition to solatium, where the causal link between the harassment and the mental health harm is established.
- Solatium of ₩12 million for months of combined sexual messaging and physical groping resulting in diagnosed depression reflects the cumulative and serious nature of the harm, even where the perpetrator is a minor.
Why This Matters
This ruling is a clear signal that civil accountability for school-based sexual harassment does not end with the juvenile perpetrator — it extends to the parents whose failure to supervise and educate created the conditions for the harm. For families of victims, it opens a civil damages pathway that can operate independently of any criminal or school disciplinary proceedings. For parents of adolescents, the case reinforces that the legal duty of supervision includes active engagement with age-appropriate conduct and sexual education — and that failure to meet that standard carries financial consequences when harm results.
Article: https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20261002128400064?input=1195m
Leave a Reply