"Tears of a 5th Grade Victim's Parent: 'The Juvenile Law System Is Unfair'"

Controversy Over Parents' SNS Posts on School Violence Cases
"The Perpetrator Goes About Normally,
While the Victim Can't Even Leave Home"

Education authorities have launched an investigation following reports of a group assault incident at an elementary school in Jeonju, Jeonbuk.

A notice presumed to have been written by B's father. [Photo by X (formerly Twitter) archive]

According to the Jeonbuk Provincial Office of Education on the 22nd, from the 11th to the 13th, 10 students including a 5th grader, Student A, at an elementary school in Jeonbuk repeatedly assaulted Student B during breaks in various ways, prompting Student B's parents to report the matter to the school and police.

The perpetrators held down the victim's arms and legs or climbed onto his stomach to prevent movement and tickled him. They also engaged in various acts of violence such as punching the solar plexus, headbutting, blocking the classroom entrance to prevent attending class, and hiding indoor shoes.

The school informed the guardians of the victim about the incident on the 13th and separated the perpetrators from the victim. From the 16th to the 18th, the education office's support office conducted a written report and an investigation by a dedicated body, and emergency measure No. 2 (no contact) was imposed on the perpetrators.

On the 22nd, the Jeonbuk Office of Education held a meeting of officials responsible for handling school violence cases to discuss fact-finding and protection measures for the victim.

An elementary school official stated, "After the review by the dedicated school violence body, we will promptly hold a review committee meeting and actively support the victim." A Jeonbuk Office of Education official said, "We will do our best to support the victim's recovery and plan to establish measures to prevent such incidents from happening again."

Meanwhile, this incident sparked public outrage after a post titled "Attempted Murder Case of a 5th Grade Male Student at an Elementary School in Jeonju" was uploaded on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on the 21st. The attached photo appears to be a notice written by Student B's father.

Student B's father appealed, "(This is) an attempted murder act," adding, "The perpetrators casually attend academies and soccer clubs, but my son cannot even leave the house."

He continued, "My son is so afraid of encountering the perpetrators that he cannot sleep or eat anything," and wrote, "It is so frustrating that they are considered 'Chokbeopsonyeon' (juvenile offenders exempt from criminal punishment)."

Chokbeopsonyeon refers to criminal minors aged 10 or older but under 14 who commit punishable acts. Article 9 of the Criminal Act stipulates that "acts committed by persons under 14 years of age shall not be punished." Since they lack criminal responsibility, even if they commit acts punishable under criminal law, they are not subject to criminal punishment but may be sent to juvenile detention centers or placed under probation by family courts through protective measures.

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