Webtoon artist Joo Ho-min's wife attended the appeal trial of special education teacher A, who was sentenced to a suspended fine in the first trial for emotionally abusing their son, and demanded severe punishment.
During the appeal trial held on the 20th at the Suwon District Court's Criminal Appeal Division 6-2 (Judges Kim Eun-jung, Kang Hee-kyung, Kwon Hyung-seob), Joo's wife petitioned for severe punishment in the case involving violations of the Special Act on the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes and the Welfare of Persons with Disabilities.
After receiving the right to speak from the court, Joo Ho-min's wife stated, “The most heartbreaking thing is not the ridicule, neglect, verbal abuse, and disability discrimination that my child experienced from the teacher, but the defendant's claim of innocence presented in the first trial.” She added, “The argument that ‘a child with autism must be taught this way to understand’ is a claim that cannot be made without viewing disabled children as less than even dogs, and it is still being repeated in the second trial.”
She continued, “Despite being the victims, my family has been caught up in the whirlwind of public opinion because my husband is a celebrity, and our faces, residence, and names have all been revealed, leading to death threats.” She pointed out, “The defendant's lawyer publicly disclosed sensitive counseling information related to the child to the media, and the education superintendent wrote a public petition in favor of the teacher and reinstated them before the truth of the case was revealed, showing no hesitation in committing secondary harm.”
She expressed, “Watching my child, who makes mistakes in bowel movements several times a day and is suffering from severe obsessive-compulsive disorder, avoiding people, feels like hell for a parent. My child still cannot return to school. I sincerely ask the court to consider the position of the victimized child.”
The prosecution, on this day, requested a sentence of 10 months in prison and a 3-year employment restriction for A, just as in the original trial. The prosecution explained, “This case is particularly serious as the person who reported the child abuse is the one who emotionally abused the child, and the defendant denies the crime and shows no sincere attitude of remorse.”
The defendant's lawyer argued, “The recorded content submitted as evidence cannot be used to support the charges according to the purpose and literature of the Communications Privacy Protection Act,” and added, “Even if the court disagrees with our view as in the first trial, the defendant's actions cannot be considered as child abuse as defined in the charges.”
A stated, “I have nothing special to say.”
On this day, over 30 parents of children with disabilities and special education teachers attended the trial as observers.
Previously, A was indicted without detention for emotionally abusing Joo Ho-min's son by saying, “You have a very bad habit. I hate it. I dislike you. I also dislike you” in a classroom at an elementary school in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, in September 2022. The investigation began after Joo Ho-min placed a recorder in his son's coat and sent him to school, leading to the recording of the content.
A received a guilty verdict with a suspended fine of 2 million won in the first trial. However, A appealed, expressing concern that “the educational activities of other teachers and special education teachers might be discouraged.”
The appeal verdict is set for May 13.
