A high school teacher is now in police custody, accused of a shocking midnight break-in. Authorities arrested the woman, in her 30s, this past Monday. She allegedly conspired with a student’s parent to sneak into a school and steal exam papers. It’s a story that feels ripped from a movie script, but it is very real.
The Daegu District Court in Andong issued a warrant for the teacher’s arrest. They worried she might try to flee or destroy important evidence. She now faces serious charges. These include taking bribes for dishonest acts, breaking into a building, and wrongly interfering with school operations. The police believe she and a 48-year-old mother of a student entered a high school in Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do, just after 1 AM on July 4.
The teacher’s fingerprint still worked on the school’s security system. She had left the school in February 2024, but her access was not removed. This allowed her to open the faculty office door, where the final exams were kept. Her accomplice, the student’s mother, watched as the teacher scanned her finger. The two women then headed straight for the third-floor faculty office.
School security guards apparently missed their entry. But as they tried to take the exams, a school alarm blared. This system error was their undoing. The pair quickly ran away from the scene. Police caught them the very next day. Investigators suspect they aimed for extra copies of the exams. The teacher knew the building well and likely knew where to look.
The plot thickened with the alleged motive. Investigators believe the student’s mother paid the teacher for exam papers for two years. Each exam period cost the mother 2 million won. That adds up to roughly 20 million won in total payments. The two first met in 2020. At that time, the teacher taught the mother’s older child.
The teacher even became the class teacher for the mother’s younger daughter when she entered high school in 2023. She also reportedly tutored the student privately. This private tutoring is against the law. Police are looking into those claims as well. The student, who always ranked first in her class, now faces harsh consequences.
This past Monday, the school’s academic board made a tough decision. They expelled the student and cancelled all her exam scores. Police have found financial records showing transactions between the parent and the teacher. This evidence is a key part of their ongoing investigation. A court hearing for the student’s mother and the school security guard is set for Tuesday afternoon.
Sources:
JoongAng Daily
Korea Herald