Former Teacher Fined for Distributing Campaign Materials in High School Classroom

A former teacher in South Korea has been ordered to pay a fine of 2 million won for violating public election laws by distributing campaign materials to high school students. The court determined that the actions negatively influenced students who were beginning to learn about proper election culture.

The individual, identified as Mr. A, was accused of distributing election-related pamphlets and candidate business cards to students in their final year of high school. The incident occurred at a high school in Hwasun, South Jeolla Province, during the lead-up to the 21st presidential election. Mr. A had previously served as an election worker for a specific candidate.

During the trial, Mr. A argued that his intentions were pure, aiming to encourage students' social awareness and share his political ideals, rather than to influence the election outcome. However, the court rejected this defense, citing the fact that the materials were distributed exclusively in classrooms of third-year high school students who were eligible to vote.

The court emphasized the gravity of the offense, stating, "The defendant, as a former teacher, visited high school classrooms and conducted illegal election campaigns targeting high school students. The defendant's crime was committed against third-year high school students who were exercising their right to vote for the first time, thus the culpability is not light and it is believed to have had a considerably negative impact on students learning about proper election culture."

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The defendant's crime was committed against third-year high school students who were exercising their right to vote for the first time, thus the culpability is not light and it is believed to have had a considerably negative impact on students learning about proper election culture.