SEOUL-- Controversy has erupted over a stunning video of a male middle school student lying on the teacher's platform with a mobile phone in his hands during class by a female teacher.

According to local education officials Monday, the 12-second video, in which the student lying comfortably appears to be filming the teacher from below with his phone or searching for information online, was uploaded on a social media site last Friday and has since spread rapidly online.

The teacher seemed to ignore the student's behavior and concentrate on the class, while other students were seen not stopping the student.

It has not yet been known in detail whether the student filmed a video or took a photo of the teacher, searched for online information or fell for some other reasons, the officials said.

The video was said to be filmed at a middle school in Hongseong, a South Chungcheong Province county about 160 kilometers south of Seoul.

As the video has triggered a heated debate on the possible infringement of teachers' rights, the provincial education office has taken measures to delete the video and launched an investigation into the incident.

"It is understood that the student was charging the cell phone by plugging the charging cable into an outlet near the platform even though the class was in progress. We're looking into whether the student infringed the teacher's rights," said an official at the provincial education office.

The South Chungcheong chapter of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers' Union has issued a statement calling for a thorough investigation into the suspected infringement of teachers' rights.

Source: Yonhap News Agency