5-Year-Old Child in 'Unconscious' State, Taekwondo Instructor Arrested (Comprehensive)

Court: "There is a risk of evidence destruction and flight"

The Taekwondo instructor accused of causing a 5-year-old student to fall into cardiac arrest and lose consciousness was arrested on the 14th.

The Uijeongbu District Court issued an arrest warrant around 4:45 p.m. on the same day for Mr. A, a man in his 30s who runs a Taekwondo academy and is charged with child abuse causing serious injury under the Special Act on the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes. The court explained the reason for issuing the warrant, citing "concerns about evidence destruction and flight risk."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Mr. A appeared for a pre-arrest detention hearing (warrant substantive examination) on the day and was questioned for about two hours.

Mr. A is accused of, on the afternoon of the 12th, at his Taekwondo academy located in Yangju-si, Gyeonggi Province, lifting a 5-year-old student, Mr. B, turning him upside down, placing him into a rolled-up mat, and leaving him unattended, which led to cardiac arrest. When Mr. B lost consciousness, Mr. A took him to a hospital in the same building as the Taekwondo academy, where a doctor performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Mr. B remains unconscious and is currently hospitalized in the intensive care unit.

The police, who responded to the report, immediately arrested Mr. A at the scene. During the police investigation, Mr. A stated, "I did it as a joke," and it is known that he denied the intentionality of the abuse during the warrant hearing as well.

The police detected signs that Mr. A deleted CCTV footage from the Taekwondo academy and plan to conduct digital forensic work. Additionally, to determine whether there were any further abusive acts by Mr. A, a full investigation will be conducted targeting all students attending the Taekwondo academy.