"Children Asked to Stop, But Swearing Continued"
Driver Who Swore Fined 3 Million Won for Violating Child Welfare Act
A court ruling has determined that using profanity toward others in situations where children can hear constitutes child abuse.
According to the Korea Legal Aid Corporation on the 1st, the Suwon District Court Seongnam Branch fined Mr. A 3 million won for violating the Child Welfare Act (child abuse) and ordered him to complete a 40-hour child abuse treatment program for verbally abusing a taxi driver.
Mr. B, who lives in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, was riding in a taxi with his two sons (7 and 6 years old) last April when the taxi had to make a sudden stop on a road near Taejae Gogae in Seongnam due to a Mercedes-Benz vehicle abruptly cutting in. The Mercedes-Benz driver, Mr. A, angry that the taxi changed lanes in front of his car, honked and obstructed the taxi's operation.
Mr. A got out of his vehicle and approached the taxi driver, shouting at him. He loudly cursed at the taxi driver, saying, "You XXXX, drive properly, you X-like guy." When the taxi driver pushed away Mr. A's arm that was resting on the driver's side window, Mr. A yelled, "You're dead, put your hand down."
Mr. B, sitting in the back seat with his two sons, pleaded, "Please stop, there are children in the back," but Mr. A ignored him and continued cursing at the taxi driver, saying, "Why do you drive like X when there are kids?"
Since it was the middle of an eight-lane road, Mr. B could not get out of the car and tried to minimize the exposure of his children to the verbal abuse by covering their ears.
Mr. A forcibly stopped the taxi and verbally abused the driver, claiming that he was not driving properly. Mr. B, who was sitting in the back seat, recorded the incident. [Photo by Online Community Capture]
The day after the incident, Mr. B posted a video of the situation on an online community to appeal for help. The younger son had nightmares related to the incident, and the older son mimicked the perpetrator's words by loudly shouting "Put your hand down" while playing with friends.
The prosecution applied charges against Mr. A for violating the Child Welfare Act (child abuse) and the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (driver assault), requesting a summary order for a fine, but the court deemed the case serious and referred it to a formal trial.
The court ruled guilty, stating, "Mr. A caused fear to the taxi driver, endangering road traffic safety, and harmed the mental health and emotional development of the victimized children."
Mr. B, the children's mother, said, "I hope this incident serves as an opportunity to be more cautious about verbal abuse in front of children."
Jo Su-a, a dedicated crime victim attorney from the Korea Legal Aid Corporation who represented Mr. B, emphasized the significance of the ruling, saying, "This judgment suggests that not only direct verbal abuse toward children but also indirect verbal abuse occurring in places where children can hear can constitute child abuse."
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