'I'll Show Leniency,' Said Ju Homin... Submitted a Statement to the Court Requesting a 'Guilty Verdict'

Special Education Teacher's Lawyer: "No Content Asking for Leniency"

It has been reported that webtoon artist Joo Ho-min's side submitted a written opinion to the court requesting a guilty verdict for the special education teacher indicted in connection with the emotional abuse case involving his son.

According to Yonhap News on the 30th, Kim Ki-yoon, the lawyer representing special education teacher A, stated, "The public defender for the victim submitted a written opinion to the court on the 21st requesting a guilty verdict for the defendant."

Lawyer Kim explained, "The written opinion, including related evidence documents, amounts to about 40 pages," adding, "There is no request for leniency; rather, it contains statements such as 'due to biased media coverage, it appears as if the victim has become the perpetrator.'

This written opinion contrasts with Joo's earlier stance. On the 2nd, Joo stated on his YouTube channel, "After consulting with my wife, we plan to submit a petition requesting leniency for the opposing teacher," and added, "I feel a sense of responsibility that the teacher's life could be severely threatened depending on the suspension and subsequent trial results. I will try to resolve this while minimizing possible harm."

Webtoon artist Ju Homin. Photo by Yonhap News

Mr. A was brought to trial on charges of emotional abuse for making remarks such as "You have very bad manners, I'm talking about you," and "I hate you to death. I hate you too, really hate you," to Joo's 9-year-old son with developmental disabilities in September of last year.

Following this, criticism arose questioning whether Joo's side's report of child abuse was an excessive action. In particular, public outrage grew when it was revealed that Joo had sent a recording device to school with his son.

As the controversy grew, Joo explained in a statement, "When we tried to separate the child from the teacher suspected of abuse, we had only one option." He said, "The school said that separation was only possible if a report was made, and the education office we first inquired with said the same. I hope the current system, which offers no other options, will be improved."

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