"‘No Action Taken’ should have been something to celebrate, but all I could do was cry."

■ Case Overview

• Client: Mother of a student accused of school violence (anonymous)

• Case area: Juvenile · School Violence

• Attorney in charge: Representative Attorney No Jong-eon

■ Original Client Review

❝ Hello, Attorney. I am Min-gyu’s (alias) mother. Even now, whenever I think about that day, my chest aches and tears pour out all at once.

At the end of 2024, when we heard that our son had been accused of school violence and referred to the School Violence Countermeasures Deliberation Committee, it felt like the whole world was collapsing. Min-gyu had merely associated with the friend who was accused, and all that had happened was a few minor arguments and some friction during the field trip. Yet the school heard only the victim student’s one-sided statement and, without even confirming the facts, immediately separated Min-gyu.

Min-gyu, who was on the verge of being branded a “perpetrator” at such a young age, was suffering terribly from extreme emotional turmoil and unfairness. Watching Min-gyu suffer from the way people around him looked at him, my husband and I felt lost and did not know what to do. As parents, we went through a truly difficult and painful time, wondering what words could comfort him, what words could give him hope, and what we should say so our child could find even a little solace.

The School Violence Deliberation Committee continued to move the matter forward based only on the victim’s statement, and the process was pushed ahead while ignoring points such as the fact that Min-gyu had not been clearly named as the perpetrator at the time of the report, and that no consistent act of violence was ever identified afterward. If things had continued this way, Min-gyu would have been branded a juvenile offender for something he did not do and would have suffered a wound at such a young age that would never go away. In that desperate situation, we went to see Attorney No Jong-eon as if grasping at straws.

The attorney carefully listened to our story and closely identified the essence of the case, then set out a strategy to uncover the truth. The moment we felt reassured and hopeful that this case could be resolved well was when Attorney No Jong-eon first sharply analyzed the contradictions in the victim’s statement.

He clearly explained that the friction during the field trip and in the classroom was based on a one-sided recollection, and that there was not enough evidence to support the claim that Min-gyu had forced any specific actions. Through various materials such as CCTV footage, text messages, and the homeroom teacher’s statement, he logically showed that Min-gyu’s behavior was neither repeated nor intentional abuse.

Also, the attorney truly understood Min-gyu’s feelings on a deep level.

To convey to the school that he had “not lost his sincere remorse and willingness to recover even in the midst of unfairness,” he carefully organized the counseling records, apology letter, and even the parts where attempts had been made to contact the victim’s side. With the attorney’s help, Min-gyu’s sincerity was delivered to the School Violence Deliberation Committee and was able to be positively evaluated.

And finally, a miracle-like piece of news arrived. The Office of Education Support issued a decision stating, “Regarding the reported matter, the student did not actively participate or repeatedly engage in problematic behavior, and based on the statements, there are parts that are inconsistent with or exaggerated compared to the victim’s claims, so none of the items in the report are recognized as facts.”

When my husband and I opened that notice, we were trembling so much... we could not take our eyes off it for a long time. We were supposed to be happy to see a “No Action Taken” result, but all I could do was cry. I think those tears were a mixture of joy and relief, along with the parents’ heartbreaking pain from watching our most precious child suffer and struggle more than anyone else during all that time.

With this decision, no measures were imposed on Min-gyu, and the case was closed with no school-violence measures and no referral to the police. Thanks to Attorney No Jong-eon, our child was able to clear the unfair false accusation and return to normal school life. We are truly, deeply grateful for how you took care of both our hearts and our child, and for achieving the best possible result.❞

■ Attorney’s Comment

“I still remember the helpless expression on the parents’ faces when they first came to see me. Preventing a child from being branded a ‘perpetrator’ for something they did not do was about protecting that child’s future. Uncovering the truth by going through the victim’s contradictions one by one was not easy, but when the ‘No Action Taken’ decision came through, I was sincerely relieved as well. I hope Min-gyu grows even stronger from this experience.”

— Attorney No Jong-eon

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