Brain Damage and Unconsciousness in Student After Over 2 Hours of Assault
Perpetrator Disciplined with '5-Day Suspension, No Contact or Retaliation'
Public Outrage Grows with Cheong Petition
Hakgahyeop Urges "Fair Punishment and Victim Protection"
[Asia Economy reporters Han Seung-gon and Kim Young-eun] Teenage youths who brutally assaulted their peers, leaving one unconscious, have received only minor disciplinary actions, sparking controversy. These individuals have a history of assaulting other students, leading to growing calls for stricter punishment.
On the 15th, the Jungbu Police Station in Incheon announced that they had arrested and sent two high school students, A and B, to the prosecution on charges of causing serious injury. A and B are accused of brutally assaulting student C, who attends the same school, at a sports facility in an apartment complex in Incheon on the 28th of last month, under the pretense of teaching him boxing.
According to the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from the gym where the indiscriminate beating took place, the perpetrators made the victim wear a head guard and boxing gloves, then took turns assaulting him.
Even after the victim lost consciousness, they repeatedly assaulted him by pouring water on the floor and dragging him around. More than two hours after the assault began, the perpetrators reportedly sent a text message to the victim’s younger sister saying, "Your brother passed out during sparring."
A petition posted by the victim's family on the Blue House National Petition website. The petitioner stated that their son was indiscriminately assaulted by fellow high school students and is now unconscious, urging strict punishment for the perpetrators. Photo by Blue House National Petition Board screenshot
◆ "Lying in the ICU for 15 days" Victim's family demands severe punishment for perpetrators
The victim was transported to the hospital after his mother’s report and underwent surgery lasting about five hours, but remains unconscious due to brain damage for over two weeks.
The victim’s family has called for strict punishment through a petition to the Blue House. On the 14th, a petition titled "Our son's life was ruined by cruel and terrifying school violence" was posted on the national petition board. As of 3 p.m. on the 16th, just two days after posting, it had garnered over 240,000 signatures, meeting the threshold for a Blue House response.
The petitioner, who identified the victim as their son, expressed anguish, saying that when they first saw him, he was limp, unable to breathe properly, and showed no pupil response to light.
They continued, "To this day, my son remains unconscious in the ICU for 15 days with diagnoses of traumatic subdural hemorrhage, tonic-clonic seizures, and fractures of four front teeth. The perpetrators, who realized he had passed out, did not call 119 (emergency services), but instead played around with him while he was unconscious, and when he did not wake up for a long time, they poured water on him and dragged him across the cold floor," they lamented.
The petitioner added, "This is not the first time for these perpetrators; there were other victims before my son, but I heard through lawyers that those cases were settled without severe punishment. Because they are minors, they receive only light penalties and will likely be released soon without any guilt. Victims like my son will continue to increase. Please help prevent other victims like my child from emerging," they pleaded.
Earlier, in September, these individuals were also booked on charges of joint injury for assaulting another classmate, but the school violence committee only ordered them and their parents to complete special education.
According to the Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education, the school held a school violence countermeasure committee meeting on the 3rd, imposing a five-day suspension and prohibiting contact and retaliation against the victim for the two perpetrators.
Given this, the victim remains unconscious, and criticism is mounting that the disciplinary measures are too lenient. Some voices call for strict punishment without applying the Juvenile Act.
One netizen expressed anger, saying, "The government, National Assembly, and education sector must no longer ignore this grave reality. They must nip violence in the bud early and deal with it severely. It is absurd that perpetrators are more protected than victims, and this must stop."
Another netizen said, "It is very sad that there were other victims before this one. Isn’t the law supposed to prevent such harm? If this is ignored again, a third victim will emerge."
◆ Lenient punishments... victims keep increasing while perpetrators continue to use violence
The problem lies in the continuous emergence of school violence victims. Punishments are weak, and there is criticism that related systems have no improvement effect. The number of repeat offenses by perpetrators is also rising.
In July, five middle school students in Incheon collectively assaulted a classmate and received a maximum five-day suspension, prompting parents to petition for stronger punishment.
In September, a petition reported that a male student in a middle school in Yeonggwang County, Jeollanam-do, died from stress-induced acute pancreatitis after enduring ongoing sexual violence from same-sex classmates, gathering about 252,000 signatures.
However, punishments for perpetrators remain minimal, leading to repeated school violence and secondary harm. Perpetrators under 19 are subject to the Juvenile Act, which provides special provisions for criminal punishment and protective measures. Most disciplinary actions end with suspension, special education, or school service.
Although 97% of perpetrators complete special education, its effectiveness appears limited. According to the 2020 revised edition of the "School Violence Case Handling Guidebook," published by the Ministry of Education and Ewha Womans University School Violence Prevention Research Institute, the number of school violence victims reporting incidents increased from 37,000 in 2017 to 50,000 in 2018 and 60,000 in 2019.
Repeat offenses are also on the rise. According to data on repeat offenses of school violence perpetrators from 2016 to 2018, submitted by the Ministry of Education to Kwon In-sook, a member of the National Assembly’s Education Committee from the Democratic Party, the number of repeat offenses increased from 2,108 in 2016 to 3,250 in 2017 and 3,827 in 2018.
Experts suggest that strict standards should be applied according to the severity of the offense to enable appropriate punishment. From the victim’s perspective, harsh punishment of perpetrators can aid in recovery and trauma treatment related to the assault.
Choi Mi-ran, head of the Busan Center of the School Violence Victims’ Families Association, emphasized, "Punishments for perpetrators in school violence cases are weak. Perpetrators must receive proper punishment and mandatory corrective education to understand what they did wrong and what responsibilities they must bear." She added, "It is essential to accurately assess the victim’s situation and impose just punishment so that perpetrators can repent."
She also stressed that victim protection measures must be properly implemented alongside punishing perpetrators. Choi said, "Perpetrators must clearly understand the pain they cause to prevent recurrence. We must pay attention to the victim’s full recovery and healing and work hard to protect victims."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
