19-Month-Old Child with '4 Weeks of Preoperative Care'... Habitual Abuse Daycare Director Sentenced to Prison

Multiple Children Aged 1-3 Abused at Daycare in Asan, Chungnam
Director Sentenced to 1 Year in Prison...Teacher Given 10 Months with 2-Year Probation

The director and childcare teacher of a daycare center in Asan, Chungnam, who habitually abused several children, including forcefully sitting a 19-month-old child on the floor causing injury, were sentenced to prison.

According to the legal community on the 1st, the Cheonan Branch of Daejeon District Court, Criminal Division 3 (Presiding Judge Heo Mi-sook) sentenced A, a director and childcare teacher in her 40s, who was indicted for violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes (aggravated punishment for child abuse by workers at child welfare facilities), to one year in prison and a fine of 2 million won. Childcare teacher B was sentenced to 10 months in prison with a two-year probation. Both were also ordered to be banned from employment at child-related institutions for five years.

A, who was the director of a daycare center in Asan, Chungnam, on or around November 16, 2021, lifted a 19-month-old child enrolled at the center by hand and forcefully sat the child down on the floor, causing injuries requiring four weeks of medical treatment, because the child had grabbed an object on the edge of a table. In addition, A was tried on charges of physically abusing four children 15 times between September and November of the same year.

Daejeon District Court Cheonan Branch
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Childcare teacher B was also tried alongside A on charges of physically abusing three children 14 times over three months, including forcefully pulling the arms of a 3-year-old child in the daycare classroom on or around September 9 of the same year, and roughly placing two children down causing them to hit their heads on the floor.

Judge Heo pointed out, "The defendants, as childcare teachers and director of the daycare center, had the responsibility to guide and protect the victims, who were only 1 to 2 years old, so that they could grow into healthy members of society, but they committed physical abuse multiple times, which carries heavy responsibility." Regarding the sentencing, the judge explained, "The victims, who had no ability to defend themselves and lacked the ability to properly express the abuse, likely suffered physical pain and negative effects on their emotional development. Consideration was given to the defendants’ acknowledgment of their wrongdoing and remorse."

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