National Traditional Arts High School has reportedly purchased items worth at least 160.78 million won from a music store operated by the father of a student accused of group sexual assault against classmates. Most of these contracts were sole-source agreements.
According to a report by Korea Ilbo on October 19, the school has been acquiring equipment from this music store since 2017. The purchase records were obtained by Kim Jae-won, a member of the Justice Reform Party, from the school.
The son of the music store owner, identified as A, was charged in January for allegedly sexually assaulting and assaulting a classmate in a music practice room in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, last May. Both A and his accomplice, B, deny the allegations.
A's father has been active in the traditional music community for many years and is said to have built close ties with officials at the school. He has served as a full-time instructor at the Traditional Arts Middle and High School and held a position with the Korean Traditional Music Association, continuing to teach at the school until recently. A performer who graduated from the school noted that A's father had strong connections with former principals and teachers. The head of the school's student guidance department, responsible for handling school violence, reportedly knew A's father for 15 years and referred to A as 'a friend's son.'
A's father also came under police investigation in October 2023 for allegedly inappropriately influencing the evaluation process during the school's entrance exam. Authorities have been investigating allegations of admissions corruption at the Traditional Arts High School, and the inquiry is ongoing.
Korea Ilbo reported that the school denied allegations of inadequate protection for the victim or attempts to cover up the incident involving A. They stated that measures for temporary protection and separation were implemented until graduation, and the head of the student guidance department claimed he never shielded A. The positions of A and his father's side have not been confirmed.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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