Special Education Teacher Accused of 'Emotional Abuse of Joo Ho-min's Son' Files Appeal on 6th... Will Also Reveal First Trial Position

Attended press conference for appeal filing at Suwon District Court on the 6th
Plans to explain unfairness of first trial verdict and reasons for appeal

A special education teacher who was found guilty in the first trial of emotionally abusing webtoon artist Ju Homin’s son has announced plans for a press conference. Kim Ki-yoon, legal representative and advisor to the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education for special education teacher A, stated on the 5th, "Before submitting an appeal to the court, the special education teacher will hold a press conference and directly release a statement."

On the morning of the 1st, after the first trial sentencing hearing of special education teacher A, who was indicted on charges of emotionally abusing the son of webtoon artist Joo Ho-min at the Suwon District Court in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, Kim Ki-yoon, legal advisor of the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education, is answering questions from the press.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

A is expected to express the position that "the ruling recognizing 'secret recordings' as evidence is unjust, and this verdict could undermine the educational rights of other special education teachers." The press conference will be held at 10:30 a.m. on the 6th in front of the civil affairs office at Suwon District Court. Attendees will include A, lawyer Kim, and the special education teachers’ union. A was indicted on charges of emotionally abusing Ju’s son (then 9 years old) in a tailored learning class at an elementary school in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, on September 13, 2022, by saying things like, "Your behavior is very bad. Ugh, I hate it. I hate you to death. I hate you. I hate you too. I really hate you." The investigation began after Ju’s side sent a recording device to the school with his son and reported A to the police on suspicion of child abuse based on the recorded content.

On the 1st, the first trial court suspended the imposition of a 2 million won fine on A. The court stated, "Some of A’s remarks can be recognized as emotional abuse with indirect intent toward the victim, and although A had a duty as a teacher to protect the child, he emotionally abused the child with an irritated attitude, so the guilt is not light," thereby finding A guilty. The key issue in this trial was the admissibility of the 'secret recording' as evidence. The first trial court acknowledged that the recording was illegally obtained evidence because it recorded a conversation between others without disclosure, but considering the exceptional circumstances of this case, it admitted the evidence and ruled A guilty of emotional abuse.

Immediately after the verdict, A’s side announced plans to appeal. Lawyer Kim said, "We express considerable regret that the court recognized the secretly recorded part as admissible evidence. Using secret recordings as evidence for conviction will inevitably destroy trust between teachers and students."

Earlier, the special education teachers’ union held a rally in front of Suwon District Court on the 2nd to criticize the verdict. They stated, "We condemn this trial result that will undermine teachers’ educational activities and cause the collapse of school education, and we urge the second trial court to make a proper ruling." The Indischool Policy Research Team’s Education Law Research Association, an online community of 140,000 elementary school teachers, also issued a statement on the 3rd, pointing out, "The court did not delicately consider the special nature of special education settings and set a precedent that disciplinary guidance could be punished as child abuse," emphasizing that teachers’ disciplinary guidance should be protected.

Webtoon artist Joo Ho-min is responding to reporters' questions after the first trial sentencing hearing of special education teacher A, who was indicted on charges of emotionally abusing Joo's son, held on the morning of the 1st at the Suwon District Court in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Regarding the case, Ju also refuted the reports through a personal Twitch broadcast on the night of the 1st, saying, "It was the longest and most painful half-year of my life." Regarding the physical exposure cited as the reason his son was separated into a special class, he said, "(My son) did some inappropriate behavior," but added, "It was not that he pulled down his pants for other female students to see; the child pulled down his pants, and a female student saw it."

He also explained that he initially intended to resolve the matter amicably through leniency but withdrew that intention after receiving a letter containing demands from the teacher’s side. He said, "It felt like a treaty sent by the victor to the defeated country," which led him to retract his offer of leniency.

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