"‘My Child Got Hurt’ 30-Year-Old Causes Disturbance at Daycare Center"

Verbal Abuse and Violence After Child's Lip Injury
Changwon District Court Sentences Fine of 2 Million Won

A man in his 30s who caused a disturbance at a daycare center director's office after his child was injured at the daycare was fined.

On the 20th, Judge Yoo Jeong-hee of the Criminal Division 3 at Changwon District Court sentenced Mr. A (in his 30s), who was indicted on charges including obstruction of business, to a fine of 2 million won.

Changwon District Court. [Photo by Yonhap News]

In February of last year, Mr. A visited a daycare center in Jinhae-gu, Changwon-si, Gyeongnam Province. When the entrance door was not opened quickly, he rang the doorbell installed on the daycare center door several times with his hand.

Mr. A also entered the daycare director’s office wearing shoes and shouted abusive language at the director, Mr. B, in his 50s, who was eating, saying, "I told you to watch my kid properly," and "If my kid gets hurt again, I won’t stand for it." He caused a disturbance for about five minutes by hitting the hallway wall with his fist and kicking flowerpots in the yard.

When he did not calm down, Mr. A raised his fist as if to hit the victim after cursing, and was also prosecuted for assault.

He committed these acts out of anger because his child, who attends this daycare, had a wound on the lip.

It was revealed that the toddlers present at the daycare at the time witnessed these scenes.

The court stated, "Visiting the daycare and disrupting its operations with indiscriminate verbal abuse and violence just because his child was injured likely had a very negative impact on the emotional well-being of the toddlers," and added, "Considering his remorse and the fact that he has no prior criminal record beyond fines," explaining the sentencing rationale.

Meanwhile, in September of last year, an incident occurred in a daycare center in Sejong City where a teacher was assaulted with a diaper soiled with feces. The parent reported the teacher for child abuse, and the teacher counter-sued the parent for assault and injury.

The incident came to light when the victim teacher’s husband posted a petition titled "Petition for the Protection of Daycare Teachers" on the National Assembly’s public consent petition site.

In the post, he claimed, "I have seen slap scenes in melodramas, but I never thought I would see feces being thrown in real life," and "I saw a photo of my wife’s face half covered in feces."

He continued, "Since early this year, I strongly advised my wife to quit because she was suffering from abusive language, unreasonable demands, and false accusations of child abuse by a parent who was abusing their power at the daycare, but this is how it ended."

According to the daycare center, during the process of sending the children home, a 3-year-old girl remaining in the classroom pinched the back of the neck of the son of the parent involved, causing a wound.

The daycare director and teacher visited the hospital where the parent’s second child was admitted to explain the situation directly and seek understanding from the parent, during which the above incident occurred.