Court: Taekwondo Master Claimed "Family Removed Child's Respirator"

The director involved in the ‘Yangju Taekwondo Dojang Child Abuse Death Case,’ where a 3-year-old child was hung upside down on a mat and left unattended until death, is reportedly still claiming no responsibility for the child’s death.

On the 3rd, Yonhap News TV reported that Director A, who was arrested and indicted on charges of child abuse homicide, claimed in all three trials that it was a prank from the beginning and that there was no intent.

Last July, at a Taekwondo studio in Yangju-si, Gyeonggi Province, a director in his 30s (right) is seen holding a 5-year-old child upside down and pushing him through a hole in a rolled-up mat. Photo by JTBC.

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Previously, Director A is on trial in the first instance for allegedly placing Choi Doha (3 years old), a student, upside down into the hole of a rolled-up mat (height 124 cm, hole diameter about 18?23 cm) at his Taekwondo dojang in Deokgye-dong, Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, on July 12, and leaving him hanging for about 27 minutes (child abuse homicide).

Doha was transported to the hospital in cardiac arrest and never regained consciousness, eventually dying on July 23, 11 days after the incident. The family, following medical staff’s opinion that recovery was unlikely, agreed with the hospital to discontinue life-sustaining treatment. The autopsy by the National Forensic Service concluded that the cause of death was ‘hypoxic ischemic brain injury due to positional asphyxia.’

The prosecution noted that Director A held a youth sports instructor certificate and had completed coursework in child physical education, thus was capable of emergency response. However, after Doha was found in a coma, proper cardiopulmonary resuscitation was not performed, and the prosecution stated that CCTV footage was deleted in an attempt to conceal the crime.

Shortly after the death of a 5-year-old child, the police restored the CCTV footage inside the building that Mr. A had deleted, revealing evidence that Mr. A had been abusing the child regularly. Photo by SBS News.

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Regarding this, Director A argues there is no causal relationship between his abusive actions and the death. He claims that he gestured to the instructor beside Doha at the time to take the child out. He also appeared to shift responsibility by stating that Doha’s death was the family’s decision.

The family’s lawyer told Yonhap News TV, “The director’s side clearly stated in court that ‘people who have been in a brain-dead state for 10 years can wake up,’ and argued that since the child was brain dead for only a few days, they need to review hospital records regarding the removal of the ventilator.”

Director A’s lawyer previously told JTBC reporters last month, “Removing the ventilator means it is not a natural death, so whoever removed it must exist. Who decided to remove the ventilator? It would be the guardian.”

The police are also investigating Taekwondo instructors who were present at the dojang when Director A abused the children, applying charges of aiding and abetting child abuse. The court plans to conclude the defense for Director A and proceed with the sentencing trial on the 19th of this month.

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