I haven't committed any sexcrime to the teenagers, now that you mention it.

Cleaning out my computer at work I came across this gem from April, 2008, from a coteacher before the long-delayed start of an after-school course:

About After School Class,

13 students want to join your English Conversation Class. So you can start your class soon. But I have to finish a paper about temporarily contracted teacher like you before starting the class. I have to ask Suncheon Police Station to check whether you committed any sexcrime to the teenagers. Do you agree to this? If you don't, you can't start your class. I don't think you did committed any crime. But this is an essential step which began this year. I think you feel bad about this. All elementary and middle schools in Korea should do the same thing. Write me back soon.

I don't remember what that check entailed. I remember I objected at first because I had already submitted a background check from back home, and I didn't think Suncheon had the jurisdiction to conduct one or demand one now. Public school teachers are well aware that schools often demand the same information over and over, such as education background, degree information, job experience, that sort of thing, and I had gotten to the point where I simply said "no" to such redundant checks. If I recall correctly this check was simply a local one, which seems a little odd to me now because if I had committed any crime in Korea I presumably wouldn't be in the classroom. That is, not until my records were expunged.

A temporary teacher at a middle school in North Chungcheong Province was arrested for raping and molesting female teenagers, police said Wednesday. He had previously been convicted on seven counts of sexual assault and other crimes.

. . .

Currently, criminal records of those sentenced to less than three years in prison are removed after five years. As such, schools can't always ascertain the criminal record of would-be teachers.