Traditional music teachers exploited authority to sexually abuse students: Court records

Court rulings from 2010 to 2026 show traditional Korean music instructors sexually abused students by exploiting their authority and influence over students’ careers. Seven of 11 cases involved underage victims, including four younger than 13. Victims described difficulty reporting abuse because of fear of retaliation and professional repercussions, and some left the traditional music community. Several instructors received prison sentences, while others received suspended sentences.

The Hankook Ilbo’s analysis covered 11 court cases involving traditional music instructors who abused their authority over students.

In one case, a pansori instructor in Seoul received a two-year-and-six-month prison sentence, which was upheld, for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old student.

A daegeum instructor in Incheon was sentenced to four years and six months in prison for sexually assaulting an 11-year-old student and also targeting the child’s mother.

An appeals court overturned a suspended sentence for a piri instructor who sexually assaulted eight 15-year-old students and sentenced him to one year and six months in prison.

A traditional music instructor who sexually assaulted a 12-year-old pansori student in Jinhae received a five-year prison sentence, which was upheld.

Published Nov 3, 2026 3:23 am KST

Sex crimes in the traditional Korean music community persist, fueled by the enormous influence teachers wield over students’ future careers and the close-knit, insular nature of the industry. Following the Hankook Ilbo’s in-depth coverage of sexual exploitation in the traditional music scene, victims continued to come forward with accounts of widespread sexual harassment and assault. Court rulings also revealed disturbing details of the crimes.

An analysis by the Hankook Ilbo of court rulings from 2010 to 2026 involving sexual offenses committed by traditional music instructors who abused their positions of authority over students found that seven of the 11 cases involved underage victims. In four of those cases, the victims were younger than 13. Cases involving adult victims also revealed how perpetrators exploited their control over students’ future careers to subject them to repeated abuse. Even as they suffered, victims found it difficult to speak out, and some eventually left the traditional music community altogether.

The crimes typically took place in lesson rooms or classrooms where students received instruction.

In 2021, Lee, who taught pansori, a traditional Korean narrative singing genre, in Gangseo District, Seoul, sexually assaulted a 12-year-old student after the child briefly fell asleep on a mat in the practice room. When the student tried to get up, Lee offered to let the child rest on his arm but forcibly made the student lie beside him. He then wrapped both arms around the child, placed one leg over the student's body and touched the child's stomach.

Lee also approached the student when the lesson ended and the child was preparing to go home, attempting to kiss the victim. On another occasion, he bit the student's arm inside his car. He also told the child not to tell the parents about the sexual assaults. Lee was sentenced to two years and six months in prison, a term that was upheld.

Underage students were particularly vulnerable because they did not always recognize inappropriate physical contact as misconduct, making them easier targets.

Shin, an elementary school teacher who also supervised a traditional music club at his school in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, repeatedly told a 12-year-old student he taught the daegeum, a traditional bamboo flute, "I love you" in a school music room in 2023. He also made kissing noises and repeatedly stroked the student's thighs.

The victim told investigators, "At first, I just thought it was strange. But as time went on, I began wondering, 'Isn't this something a teacher shouldn't do to a student?'"

Shin was given a suspended prison sentence last year.

"Some parents of female students deliberately seek out female teachers," a person working in the traditional music industry told the Hankook Ilbo.

Gaslighting students by holding their futures hostage

Many perpetrators used lessons as a pretext to psychologically manipulate students and sexually exploit them.

Moon, who taught the daegeum in Mokpo, South Jeolla Province, in 2013, told a high school student in his practice room that "you need to know how to sleep with men to become more talented" and that "romantic relationships between teachers and students are commonplace." He then engaged in sexual acts with the student, including intercourse.

It took more than eight years for Moon to be sentenced. In 2021, he received a suspended prison sentence.

In 2018, Lee, a former professor in the traditional Korean music department at a university in Gyeonggi Province, was given a suspended prison sentence for inappropriate physical contact with a 17-year-old student preparing for university entrance exams. Claiming that the student needed to "breathe from the abdomen," Lee touched the victim's stomach and hugged the student.

Another traditional musician targeted an 11-year-old student, believing the child would be reluctant to leave him while preparing for admission to an arts middle school.

Baek, who taught traditional Korean music in Incheon in 2020, sexually assaulted the student by demanding, "Give me a kiss," and grabbing the back of the child's head to prevent the victim from moving away.

The following year, during a lesson, Baek asked the student, "Your father is in Cheonan. Could I date your mother for just a month without telling him?" He also showed the child photographs of women wearing bikinis.

The victim's mother was also targeted.

At a dinner attended by Baek, his wife and the victim's parents, Baek followed the mother to the restroom when she stepped away, hugged her and kissed her.

The mother had previously been aware of Baek making inappropriate remarks to her and her child but had put up with his behavior because her child needed to prepare for entrance exams. After learning that her child had been sexually assaulted, she reported him to the police. Baek was sentenced to four years and six months in prison.

Staying silent out of fear or leaving the industry

Victims were afraid of the repercussions they might face if they reported the abuse.

Yoo, a full-time piri instructor at a high school specializing in traditional Korean music in Seoul, sexually assaulted eight 15-year-old students, including by stroking their thighs. In one incident, he struck a student's genital area with a car key while the student was lying on a desk.

One victim told investigators why speaking out was difficult: "There are few people majoring in traditional Korean music, and graduates are closely connected through senior-junior relationships. I am afraid that if I tell the truth, Yoo's classmates or seniors in the industry might retaliate against me."

Yoo initially received a suspended prison sentence at trial, but an appeals court overturned the ruling and sentenced him to one year and six months in prison.

There were also cases in which victims actually suffered professional consequences after speaking up.

Park, a holder of an intangible cultural heritage designation by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, sexually assaulted a student in 2017 after inviting the student, who dreamed of earning the same designation, to meet him separately following a reception with his students.

Park and the victim had maintained a teacher-student relationship for 24 years. When the student raised concerns about the abuse, Park accused the victim of having lured him into it and trying to smear him to obtain the prestigious designation.

Unable to endure the cold treatment and unfair treatment that followed, the victim eventually had to leave the training center where they had studied. Such centers preserve traditional performances of intangible cultural heritage and train the next generation of practitioners.

Park received a suspended prison sentence and was subsequently stripped of his designation as a holder of intangible cultural heritage by the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

Some victims abandoned the traditional music world altogether.

A 12-year-old student who learned pansori from Choi, the head of a musical troupe in Jinhae, South Gyeongsang Province, in 2012 eventually gave up studying traditional Korean music after the abuse escalated in severity and culminated in rape. Choi was sentenced to five years in prison, a term that was upheld.

A female university student who attended middle and high schools specializing in traditional Korean music before majoring in the field said the industry continued to turn a blind eye to the seriousness of sexual violence and abuse of authority.

"Despite how serious sexual violence and violence stemming from hierarchical relationships are in the traditional music community, people do not take these issues seriously," she said. "I also developed trauma from prolonged verbal abuse and eventually quit traditional Korean music."

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.

2010年至2026年的法院判决显示，韩国传统音乐教师利用其权威和对学生职业生涯的影响力，对学生进行性侵犯。在11起案件中，有7起涉及未成年受害者，其中4名受害者年龄小于13岁。受害者表示，由于害怕遭到报复和影响职业生涯，她们难以举报性侵犯行为，一些人甚至离开了传统音乐界。部分教师被判处监禁，另一些教师则被判处缓刑。

《韩国日报》的分析涵盖了 11 起传统音乐教师滥用职权侵害学生权益的法庭案件。

首尔一名盘索里教师因性侵一名 12 岁学生而被判处两年零六个月监禁，该判决得到维持。

仁川一名大笒教师因性侵一名 11 岁学生并骚扰其母亲而被判处四年六个月有期徒刑。

一名皮里舞教练性侵了八名 15 岁的学生，上诉法院推翻了对他的缓刑判决，判处其一年零六个月监禁。

一名传统音乐教师在镇海性侵了一名 12 岁的盘索里学生，被判处五年有期徒刑，该判决维持原判。

发布于2026年11月3日凌晨3:23（韩国标准时间）

韩国传统音乐界的性犯罪问题持续存在，这主要是由于教师对学生未来职业生涯的巨大影响力，以及该行业内部关系紧密、封闭的性质所致。《韩国日报》对传统音乐界的性剥削问题进行深入报道后，受害者不断站出来讲述他们遭受的普遍性骚扰和性侵犯。法院的判决也揭露了这些犯罪令人不安的细节。

《韩国日报》对2010年至2026年间涉及传统音乐教师滥用职权性侵学生的法院判决进行分析后发现，11起案件中有7起涉及未成年受害者。其中4起案件的受害者年龄小于13岁。涉及成年受害者的案件也揭示了施害者如何利用其对学生未来职业生涯的控制权，对学生进行反复性侵。即使身处痛苦之中，受害者也难以发声，一些人最终彻底离开了传统音乐界。

这些犯罪行为通常发生在学生上课的教室或教室里。

2021年，在首尔江西区教授韩国传统叙事歌唱形式盘索里（pansori）的李某，在练习室的垫子上性侵了一名12岁的学生。当时这名学生短暂地睡着了。当学生试图起身时，李某提出让学生靠在他的手臂上休息，但却强行让学生躺在自己身边。随后，他用双臂环抱住学生，将一条腿搭在学生身上，并触摸了学生的腹部。

下课后，李某接近这名学生，趁其准备回家时试图亲吻她。另一次，他还在车内咬了这名学生的胳膊。此外，他还威胁这名学生不要告诉父母自己遭受的性侵犯。李某被判处两年六个月监禁，该判决维持原判。

未成年学生尤其容易受到伤害，因为他们并不总是能意识到不恰当的身体接触是行为不端，这使他们更容易成为攻击目标。

申某是庆尚南道梁山市的一名小学教师，同时也是该校传统音乐社团的指导老师。2023年，他在学校音乐教室里，反复对一名他教其演奏大笒（一种传统竹笛）的12岁学生说“我爱你”，还发出亲吻的声音，并反复抚摸该学生的大腿。

受害者告诉调查人员：“起初，我只是觉得很奇怪。但随着时间的推移，我开始想，‘老师不应该对学生这样做吗？’”

申某去年被判缓刑。

“一些女学生的家长会刻意寻找女老师，”一位在传统音乐行业工作的人士告诉《韩国日报》。

通过挟持学生的未来来操控他们的情绪

许多犯罪分子以上课为借口，对学生进行心理操控和性剥削。

2013年，在全罗南道木浦市教授大笒的文某，在其琴房内对一名高中生说：“要想更有才华，你需要学会如何与男人发生性关系”，并称“师生恋很常见”。随后，他与该学生发生了性行为，包括性交。

文鲜明历经八年多才被判刑。2021年，他被判处缓刑。

2018年，曾任京畿道某大学韩国传统音乐系教授的李某，因与一名正在备考高考的17岁学生发生不正当身体接触而被判缓刑。李某声称该学生需要“腹式呼吸”，随后触摸了受害者的腹部并拥抱了她。

另一位传统音乐家盯上了一名 11 岁的学生，他认为这名孩子在准备进入艺术中学之前，会不愿离开他。

2020 年在仁川教授韩国传统音乐的白某性侵了一名学生，他要求学生“给我一个吻”，并抓住孩子的后脑勺阻止受害者离开。

第二年，在一次课堂上，白先生问学生：“你父亲在天安。我可以瞒着他跟你母亲交往一个月吗？”他还给孩子看了身穿比基尼的女性照片。

受害者的母亲也成为了攻击目标。

在白某、他的妻子和受害者的父母参加的一次晚宴上，当受害者的母亲离开洗手间时，白某尾随她去了洗手间，拥抱并亲吻了她。

这位母亲之前就知道白某曾对她和她的孩子发表过不当言论，但因为孩子需要准备高考，所以一直忍气吞声。得知孩子遭到性侵后，她向警方报案。白某被判处四年六个月有期徒刑。

因恐惧而保持沉默，还是离开这个行业

受害者害怕如果举报虐待行为可能会面临报复。

柳某是首尔一所专门教授韩国传统音乐的高中的全职皮里舞教师，他性侵了八名15岁的学生，包括抚摸她们的大腿。其中一起事件中，他趁一名学生躺在桌子上时，用车钥匙击打该学生的生殖器部位。

一名受害者向调查人员解释了为何难以启齿：“韩国传统音乐专业的学生很少，毕业生之间关系密切，师生关系紧密。我担心如果我说出真相，柳的同学或者业内前辈会对我进行报复。”

Yoo最初在审判中被判缓刑，但上诉法院推翻了该判决，判处他一年零六个月监禁。

也有一些案例显示，受害者在发声后反而遭受了职业上的负面影响。

朴某是首尔市政府认定的非物质文化遗产持有者，2017 年，他在与学生举行招待会后，邀请一名梦想获得同样认定的学生单独见面，并对该学生进行了性侵犯。

朴某与受害者保持了24年的师生关系。当学生对朴某的虐待行为提出质疑时，朴某反而指责受害者引诱他，并试图抹黑他以获得这一享有盛誉的称号。

由于无法忍受随之而来的冷遇和不公待遇，受害者最终不得不离开她曾学习的培训中心。这类中心旨在保护非物质文化遗产的传统表演形式，并培养下一代从业者。

朴某被判缓刑，随后被首尔市政府剥夺了非物质文化遗产持有者资格。

有些受害者彻底放弃了传统音乐界。

2012年，一名12岁的学生在庆尚南道镇海市跟随音乐团团长崔某学习盘索里，但随后遭受的虐待愈演愈烈，最终演变为强奸，这名学生被迫放弃了学习韩国传统音乐。崔某被判处五年有期徒刑，该判决维持原判。

一位曾在中学和高中就读传统韩国音乐专业的女大学生表示，该行业一直对性暴力和滥用职权的严重性视而不见。

“尽管传统音乐界的性暴力和等级关系引发的暴力问题非常严重，但人们并没有认真对待这些问题，”她说。“我也因为长期遭受言语虐待而产生了心理创伤，最终退出了韩国传统音乐界。”

本文来自《韩国日报》（《韩国时报》的姊妹报），由人工智能生成系统翻译，并由《韩国时报》编辑。