Two Daycare Teachers Arrested for Repeatedly Abusing Hundreds of Disabled Children

Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency.
Photo by Lee Seryeong

Two daycare teachers have been arrested on charges of repeatedly abusing children with disabilities hundreds of times.

According to the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency on the 24th, among the arrest warrants requested on the 15th for four individuals including A, a teacher in their 20s at a daycare center in Jinju, Gyeongnam, on charges of violating the Child Welfare Act, warrants for two of them were issued late at night on the 23rd.

The judge in charge of warrants at the Changwon District Court Jinju Branch issued the arrest warrants due to concerns of flight risk, while the warrants for the remaining two were dismissed as there was no concern of flight or evidence tampering.

The teachers are accused of habitually assaulting 15 children aged 4 to 12 with autism or developmental disabilities over 500 times at a daycare center in Jinju from June to August 2022.

They allegedly abused the children multiple times a day by hitting them with their hands or kicking their stomachs with their feet, dragging or pushing the children by their arms and legs causing them to fall backward.

They also reportedly covered children who did not take naps with pillows and blankets in a manner resembling smothering.

During police investigations, the offending teachers mostly admitted to the crimes, stating that they disciplined the children because they were difficult to handle due to communication barriers and noncompliance.

This daycare center is a specialized facility for children with disabilities, with all 38 enrolled children having autism or developmental disabilities.

Earlier, the police conducted a five-month joint investigation with Jinju City, resulting in arrest warrants for A and three others, while two nutritionists and daycare teachers with relatively lighter involvement, as well as the director responsible for management and the corporation, totaling five people, were booked without detention.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.