"Concerned About Ju Homin's Son" Special Education Teacher Says No Lawsuit Against Ju Homin

"Thinking of the Child, Ju Homin Does Not File a Complaint"
Struggling Due to the Trial but Opposes Third-Party Complaints

Webtoon artist Joo Ho-min (41) reported the special education teacher in charge of his autistic son for child abuse. However, the special education teacher, Mr. A, reportedly refused to press charges despite surrounding opinions encouraging him to do so, saying, "The child will have a harder time."

Webtoon artist Joo Ho-min (41) reported the elementary school special education teacher in charge of his autistic son for child abuse. However, the special education teacher, Mr. A, reportedly refused the suggestion from those around him to press charges, saying, "The child will have a harder time." [Photo by Yonhap News]

According to the JoongAng Ilbo report on the 9th, Kim Ki-yoon, a legal advisor for the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education, met with special education teacher Mr. A on the 8th to ask about his intention to file a third-party complaint under the Protection of Communications Secrets Act, but Mr. A responded that he had no intention to sue. The report stated that Mr. A discouraged not only filing charges against the parents (the Joo Ho-min couple) but also third-party complaints, saying that if the parents were reported, the child would suffer more.

Attorney Kim explained, "The teacher said the child still lingers in his eyes," adding, "If the father (Joo Ho-min) is reported and the son finds out, how much of a wound would that be to him? It's very difficult, but out of consideration for the child, he cannot bring charges against Mr. Joo."

Kim further stated, "The teacher is having a very hard time because of the trial," but also noted, "Since other disabled students have suffered from not being able to properly attend classes, the special education teacher feels heartbroken about that."

Earlier, the Joo couple secretly placed a voice recorder in their child's bag to record class content and used it as evidence to sue Mr. A. This led to some concerns that the teacher might be able to file a counterclaim for violating the Protection of Communications Secrets Act.

Since the Protection of Communications Secrets Act is not a crime requiring a complaint by the victim, Mr. A could directly file a counterclaim. Additionally, third-party complaints could be filed by the education office or the Korea Federation of Teachers' Associations (KFTA). However, Mr. A discouraged such actions.

Online, the prevailing opinion was that Mr. A's behavior was legitimate discipline. There was also widespread anger over the Joo couple secretly placing a voice recorder in their child's bag to record class content.

Meanwhile, as the controversy continued, Joo Ho-min stated in a second statement, "After consulting with my wife, we plan to submit a petition seeking leniency for the opposing teacher." The third hearing related to Mr. A will be held on the 28th at 10:50 a.m. at the Suwon District Court, Criminal Division 9, presided over by Judge Kwak Yong-heon.

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