Three Daycare Teachers Accused of Abusing 3-Year-Old Children... Controversy Erupts

New Teacher Confesses Abuse to Parents
Principal States "Perpetrating Teachers Have Been Dismissed" Only

There are allegations that three teachers in a 3-year-old class at a daycare center continuously abused children.

A teacher of a 3-year-old class at a daycare center in Yangju, Gyeonggi, pressing down on a child who does not take a nap with her whole body. [Image source=YTN]

On the 1st, YTN reported that earlier last month, three teachers at a daycare center in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, came under police investigation for allegedly abusing 3-year-old children. CCTV footage showed the teachers pressing down on the children’s bodies because they would not take naps. There were also scenes of one teacher hitting a child’s chin and another teacher pushing a seated child, causing them to fall.

This issue came to light when a newly hired teacher at the daycare confessed these facts to the parents. One of the offending teachers admitted to the parents, "It has been happening for two years," after the incident became known. Because of this, parents suspect that the abuse may have been ongoing. A guardian of one victim child said, "My child would wake up at night as if having a seizure, unable to sleep, and would throw objects." Another guardian of a victim child lamented, "My child seems to need psychological therapy, so I have quit my job."

Additionally, there are opinions that "the director could not have been unaware of the abuse, which was even identified by a new teacher who had been employed for just about ten days." Because of this, suspicions of concealment or complicity by the director have also been raised. The director is reported to have only stated that all offending teachers have been dismissed.

Netizens who saw this expressed reactions such as "This is so shocking," "The location of such a place must be clearly revealed," "The director should be punished equally," "Is quitting the job the end of it?" and "It seems like only the hardworking teachers suffer because of incidents like this."