Im Tae-hee to Submit Petition Supporting Special Education Teacher Sued by Joo Ho-min

"Relying on Legal Solutions Harms Students and Parents"

Lim Tae-hee, Superintendent of Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education, announced on the 4th that he will submit a petition to the court requesting leniency for a special education teacher accused of abusing the son of webtoon artist Joo Ho-min, who has developmental disabilities.

On the 3rd, Lim posted on his social media account a petition stating, "I would like to ask for a wise decision regarding the special education teacher accused of abusing a student with developmental disabilities at an elementary school in Gyeonggi Province."

Im Tae-hee, Superintendent of Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education
Photo by Yonhap News

He continued, "Special education teachers often endure repeated violence, inappropriate physical contact, and even the task of cleaning up excrement alone. These are not tasks that can be done solely out of a sense of duty. It requires genuine care and affection for students with disabilities, as well as the trust and support of their parents to endure."

Lim emphasized, "While I fully understand the concerns of parents worried about their children, if the special circumstances of the special education field are not considered, it is difficult for special education to continue."

He added, "If numerous complex situations lead to complaints and criticism against teachers, and if educational solutions are bypassed in favor of legal resolutions, the damage will inevitably fall on other students with disabilities who require special education and their parents."

He further expressed, "The conclusion of this case is not an issue concerning an individual teacher but one that could affect the entire public education system. If teachers working with a sense of duty lose their will or if trust within the school community collapses, the foundation of school education will inevitably be shaken."

[Photo by Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education]

Lim also stated, "The Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education will do its best to establish institutional measures to prevent such incidents from occurring. I earnestly ask for a wise judgment that takes into account the difficulties faced by the educational field."

Earlier, in September of last year, Joo Ho-min accused special education teacher A, who was teaching his son with autistic tendencies, of abusing his child. During this process, controversy arose over the excessive reporting, including placing a recorder in the child's bag. In response, Joo's side claimed that teacher A made inappropriate remarks to his son.

Subsequently, the police and prosecution, after investigation, found the teacher's charges to be valid and indicted A, with the trial currently underway.

The Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education suspended teacher A following the indictment, but after criticism arose that this was an excessive measure causing class disruptions for students requiring special education, A was reinstated on the 1st.

On the 2nd, Joo Ho-min posted a second statement on his social media account, saying, "I have seen much criticism and anger questioning why I did not meet with the teacher before filing a complaint. In the midst of the incident, I was solely focused on the child's stability and did not see this."

He apologized, saying, "Although it took time, I should have shared the incident with other parents and sought solutions. It was hasty and foolish." He also revealed, "After consulting with my wife, we plan to submit a petition requesting leniency for the teacher involved."

Joo Ho-min [Photo by Yonhap News]

However, Joo explained, "When we tried to separate our child from the teacher we suspected within the school, we had only one option. The school said that a report was necessary to enable separation, and the education office we first inquired with said the same."

In response, the school attended by Joo's son denied on the 3rd that they ever encouraged reporting special education teacher A, who is on trial for child abuse. They also stated, "On the contrary, we submitted a petition for leniency for teacher A to the Suwon District Court."

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