As the Gwangju city government and school board tossed the case back and forth, students and parents staged a sit-in for eight months outside their offices, calling for justice.
The local court sentenced the principal (son of the school founder) to a five-year term in prison, and four others received relatively heavy penalties.
The case did not draw much media attention when it went on trial in 2005, but at the time, human rights activists and victims criticized the lax legal action taken against the abusers.
The Crucible depicted the sexual and physical violence against minors and the court proceedings marred by corruption, bribery, and Jeon-gwan ye-u.
[11] In the subsequent criminal cases following the release of the book and movie, several of the teachers pleaded guilty to sexual molestation charges.
Among the guilty included the 63-year-old former administrator, who in July 2012 was sentenced by the Gwangju District Court to 12 years in prison for sexually assaulting an 18-year-old student in April 2005.