Yangsan Daycare 'Over 350 Cases of Child Abuse'... From Teachers to Director

Arrest Warrant for Yangsan Daycare Teacher... Director and 3 Others Released Without Detention

A childcare teacher A (in her 50s) at a daycare center in Yangsan, who abused children around the age of one over 350 times during four months, was arrested on the 6th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Jeong-wan] It has been revealed that teachers and other staff at a daycare center in Yangsan, Gyeongnam, subjected infants under the age of three to hundreds of instances of emotional and physical abuse.

The Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency's Special Investigation Team for Child Abuse announced on the 6th that they have requested an arrest warrant for A, a daycare teacher in her 50s, on charges of habitual abuse.

A is accused of committing a total of over 350 offenses, including about 280 instances of physical abuse and about 70 instances of emotional abuse, against six children around the age of one who were enrolled at the daycare center from early August to late November last year.

In particular, A kicked a 13-month-old child in the back, breaking the child's tooth, but concealed the abuse by telling the child's parents that "the child fell while playing alone."

During the subsequent police investigation, it was revealed that A habitually abused children by slapping their cheeks with her hands or grabbing their heads and throwing them onto the floor.

Additionally, B (in her 50s), the director who had previously claimed not to know about A's child abuse, was also found during the police investigation to have abused children by hitting their stomachs or punishing them by making them face the wall.

Furthermore, assistant teacher C (in her 50s) and cook D (in her 50s) were also reported to have abused children multiple times by pushing them to the floor or hitting their heads.

Earlier this February, parents of the children held a press conference in front of the Yangsan City Council, claiming their children had been physically abused by daycare teachers. They also posted a petition on the Blue House National Petition Board demanding a thorough investigation and the suspension of the offending teachers' qualifications.