This photo shows elementary students getting ready for an activity in the school playground in Gwangju, April 18. 2022. Newsis

A court in Ulsan sentenced an elementary school teacher to eight months in prison, suspended for two years, Monday, for threatening to attack a nine-year-old boy after the boy talked back to the teacher.

Additionally, the court imposed a two-year ban on the teacher from seeking employment in positions involving children, citing violations of laws regarding the punishment of child abuse crimes.

The teacher, employed as a physical education teacher at an elementary school in Ulsan, found himself in legal trouble following an incident in 2022. During a class, he reprimanded the underage plaintiff for throwing a stone at another student.

The boy didn't listen to the teacher and talked back, saying, "So what?" according to news outlets.

The teacher subsequently grabbed the student by the collar and dragged him to his classroom. When the boy attempted to flee, the teacher pursued him, kicking the chair the boy was sitting on and threatening to hit him.

The incident was reported to the school by the student's homeroom teacher in the classroom, who witnessed the incident.

During the trial, the defendant denied kicking the chair or threatening to hit the boy, saying that his actions were disciplinary. However, the court ruled the teacher's behavior was abusive.

The judge ruled while the student's initial actions were wrong, the teacher's response was overly aggressive to be considered disciplinary, a view supported by other witnesses' testimonies.

Whether the teacher will appeal the ruling isn't known yet.