Childcare Teachers Who Abused Hundreds of Developmentally Disabled Children Sent to Prison Bars

Childcare teachers at a daycare center who were charged with abusing children with developmental disabilities hundreds of times have been sentenced to prison.

The Criminal Division 2 of the Jinju Branch of Changwon District Court in Gyeongnam held a sentencing hearing on the 7th for six childcare teachers and the daycare center corporation, who were prosecuted for violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes, sentencing four to imprisonment and two to probation.

The court sentenced Mr. A to three years in prison and ordered him to complete a child abuse treatment program and imposed a seven-year employment restriction at child-related institutions.

Mr. B was sentenced to three years in prison, ordered to complete 80 hours of the treatment program, and given a five-year employment restriction at related institutions.

Mr. C was sentenced to two years in prison, ordered to complete 80 hours of the program, and given a five-year employment restriction, with bail revoked.

Mr. D was sentenced to one year in prison, ordered to complete 80 hours of the program, and given a five-year employment restriction.

Mr. E was sentenced to one year in prison with a two-year probation, ordered to complete 80 hours of the program, and given a four-year employment restriction, while Mr. F was sentenced to ten months in prison with a two-year probation, ordered to complete 40 hours of the program, 160 hours of community service, and given a three-year employment restriction.

The daycare center’s social welfare corporation was fined 50 million won.

The court did not accept the childcare teachers’ claim that the daycare center CCTV footage was inadmissible as evidence due to improper collection procedures.

Changwon District Court, Gyeongnam.
Photo by Se-ryeong Lee

The court stated, “The abuse was repeatedly committed against children with disabilities who find it difficult to report externally, and considering that most of the victims were children under the age of 10, the blameworthiness is significant,” adding, “The number of offenses is not small, and many parents are demanding severe punishment.”

“Considering the duration, frequency, content, and circumstances of the victims, the guilt is heavy, but the sentence is determined taking into account the high intensity of childcare work and insufficient support for the childcare environment, including a shortage of assistant teachers,” the court added.

According to the court, the daycare center where the teachers worked is a specialized childcare facility for children with disabilities, where the offending teachers were found to have habitually assaulted and abused 15 children aged 4 to 12 with autism or developmental disabilities over 500 times from June to August 2022.

In the daycare center CCTV footage, the offending teachers were seen hitting the children with their hands, kicking their stomachs with their feet, dragging them by their arms and legs, or pushing them backward.

They also forced food into the mouths of children who refused snacks by opening their mouths and appeared to cover children who did not take naps with pillows or blankets.

After the ruling, the Parents’ Countermeasure Committee for Victims of the Jinju Specialized Daycare Center Child Abuse Case held a press conference in front of the Jinju Branch of Changwon District Court, urging Jinju City to establish measures to prevent recurrence.

They emphasized, “The wounds suffered by the victimized parents and children cannot be fully healed,” and “Jinju City must prepare a child abuse prevention manual and establish safe specialized childcare facilities for children with disabilities.”

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