Kyochong, on 'Joo Homin's Son' Special Education Teacher Guilty Verdict: "A Judgment Ignoring Reality"

Kyochong "Suwon District Court Recognizes Illegal Recording
Opened Pandora's Box That Will Turn Schools into Places of Distrust and Surveillance"

In response to the guilty verdict against a special education teacher accused of emotionally abusing the son of webtoon artist Ju Homin, a teachers' organization issued a statement of criticism.

The Korea Federation of Teachers' Associations criticized the ruling in a press release on the 1st, stating, "It is regrettable that the verdict ignores the reality of special education teachers, the educational purpose of correcting the student's misconduct, and the earnest demands of 560,000 teachers nationwide."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Judge Kwak Yongheon of the Suwon District Court Criminal Division 9 on the same day suspended the imposition of a 2 million won fine on Mr. A, who was indicted without detention on charges of violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes and the Act on Welfare of Persons with Disabilities. Mr. A is accused of emotionally abusing Ju’s son by saying, "Your behavior is very bad. Ugh, I hate it. I hate it to death. I hate you. I hate you too. Really hate you," in a tailored learning class at an elementary school in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, on September 13, 2022.

Ju’s side reported Mr. A to the police on charges of child abuse based on recordings made by placing a voice recorder in his son's coat and sending him to school. The court recognized the evidentiary value of the recordings made by Ju’s side by placing the recorder in the child's coat in its ruling that day.

The teachers' association stated, "This Suwon District Court ruling acknowledges illegal secret recordings, opening Pandora's box that transforms the school environment from a space of empathy and trust between teachers and students into one of distrust and surveillance," adding, "We are deeply concerned about how many secret recordings and child abuse reports will follow, how many teachers will suffer as a result, and how much the educational environment will be devastated."

Furthermore, the association emphasized the need to consider the special nature of the guidance conditions for special education teachers. The association explained, "Due to the conditions of special education, teachers sometimes need to express their intentions more strongly or restrain students during the guidance process, and there are times when they talk to themselves alone," adding, "It is clear that educational activities will be greatly restricted by this ruling."

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