Teacher Acquitted After Sending Message to Student During Exam Supervision

A teacher from a public school in Seoul has been acquitted of charges related to a violation of the Personal Information Protection Act after sending a message to a student he supervised during the College Scholastic Ability Test (수능). The Seoul Central District Court confirmed the not guilty verdict on July 8, 2025, following a retrial.

The teacher, referred to as A, was supervising the exam at a high school in Gangdong-gu on November 15, 2018. During the process of verifying student identities, which involved checking documents containing names, resident registration numbers, and contact information, A came across the contact details of a student, identified as B. Ten days later, A sent a message to B stating, "I actually like you."

The key issue in the case was whether A had the authority to 'control' the personal information provided by the Seoul Education Office or if he was merely 'processing' it. Under the previous Personal Information Protection Act, individuals who receive personal information are prohibited from using it for purposes other than those intended.

In the first trial, while acknowledging A's actions were inappropriate, the court ruled that he was simply processing the information as directed by the education office, leading to a not guilty verdict. However, the second trial found A guilty of using personal information for private purposes and sentenced him to four months in prison, suspended for one year.

The Supreme Court later overturned the second trial's decision, stating that A was merely handling the information under the education office's direction and could not be considered as having received it. The retrial upheld the not guilty verdict, and neither the prosecution nor A appealed the decision, finalizing the acquittal.