Son Separated to Special Unit Due to Sudden Behavior
Used Recorder After Anxiety Reactions and School Refusal
"Not Just Simple Discipline"...Reported for Child Abuse Allegations
Webtoon artist Joo Ho-min (41) has released an official statement regarding the fact that he reported a special education teacher on charges of child abuse against his son.
"Recorded due to difficulty in accurate communication... Teacher's language and behavior inappropriate"
On the afternoon of the 26th, Joo opened up through his social media (SNS) saying, "I am writing to clarify the facts regarding the articles about my child." He stated, "Since last September, my child was separated and educated all day in a special education class due to sudden behavioral outbursts. However, from the day of the incident, he continuously showed very anxious and fearful reactions different from usual and even refused to attend school."
Joo explained the reason for using a recorder, saying, "As a second-grade elementary school child with developmental disabilities, accurate communication was impossible, and since only children with disabilities attend the special education class, there was no way to receive information about the situation, but confirmation was necessary."
He added, "The sudden behavioral outburst (the incident mentioned in the article) occurred during the class of a regular teacher, not the special education teacher we reported. And the special education teacher's behavior happened a week after that incident," emphasizing, "Although it did not occur during his own class time, he used very inappropriate language and behavior toward our child, which I clearly believe is problematic."
He said, "The recording contained situations that were hard to see as simple discipline, and I was greatly shocked, but first, I sought external advice to objectively determine whether there was a problem rather than relying on subjective judgment," and added that he consulted with a total of five lawyers and the child abuse officer at Yongin Police Station.
He further explained, "The school tried to resolve the issue, but in cases of emotional child abuse, we were told that teacher replacement is possible depending on the judicial investigation results, so we decided to report it."
When netizens pointed out, "Did you bring five lawyers with you?" he clarified in the comments, "I consulted with five lawyers, and the trial was proceeding with a public defender, but I just hired a private lawyer today."
"Teacher irritated at child due to parental complaints? Absolutely not true"
However, Joo seemed to be aware of the recent issues of parental complaints and the decline of teacher authority following the death of a teacher at Seo-i Elementary School and continued his explanation.
Joo said, "The claim that parents nagged the teacher so much that the teacher got irritated at the child due to that stress is not true. It is regrettable that inaccurate facts are clouding the main point of this case," and added, "Please wait for the trial results to determine whether the teacher's actions were legitimate discipline or abuse against a child with developmental disabilities."
He also expressed, "I sincerely apologize for the part where my child had sudden behavioral outbursts. We actively tried to apologize and seek forgiveness from the other child and their parents. Thankfully, they accepted the apology, forgave the child, and reached an amicable agreement," emphasizing, "We are actively providing necessary education and paying close attention to reduce our child's sudden behavioral outbursts and will continue to do so."
Despite Joo's explanation, netizens expressed disappointment. Comments included, "If the teacher did such a bad thing, why did the parents of the same school submit a petition?" and "They say there is no problem because the other child's parents accepted the apology, but why didn't they accept an apology from the teacher and instead reported him, cutting off his livelihood?"
Meanwhile, a domestic media outlet previously reported that a special education teacher A at an elementary school in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, is currently on trial after being reported by Joo last September on charges of child abuse. B, a child with autism, was separated due to sudden behavioral outbursts, such as pulling down his pants in front of female students while attending classes with non-disabled students, and was placed in a separate special education class as a school violence measure.
It was understood that teacher A told B, who was separated into the special education class, something to the effect of "Since you have been separated, you cannot make friends with other children." Joo reportedly sent B to school with a recorder turned on in his bag and secured evidence of teacher A's language and behavior before reporting to the police.
Teacher A is currently suspended from duty and undergoing trial. However, other parents submitted petitions requesting leniency at the teacher's request, and fellow teachers reportedly testified that B had problematic behaviors such as hitting teachers or other students.
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