The teacher has since resigned from the school, citing severe psychological distress from the false identification.

Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said the five were charged for defamation based on the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection.

The agency’s cybersecurity team plans to conduct a comprehensive investigation on the case.

In early June, a female teacher dispatched to Shinan County, South Jeolla Province, was raped by three local men, two of whom were parents of the students at her school.

The suspects were caught and DNA evidence pointing toward their guilt was collected. The three men were forwarded to the Mokpo branch of the Gwangju District Prosecutor’s Office.

By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)