Man Accused of Abusing Elementary Student Over Splashing at Swimming Pool... Police Investigation Underway

Incident at Seoul Hangang Park Swimming Pool
7-Year-Old's Head Repeatedly Submerged Underwater
Victim's Family: "Not Just a Prank... Almost Died"

A report was filed that a man at the Seoul Hangang Park swimming pool repeatedly submerged an elementary school student's head underwater after splashing water on his group, prompting the police to launch an investigation. On the 18th, Channel A reported, "At around 11:50 a.m. on the 3rd, a report was received by the police that a 7-year-old second-grade elementary school student, A, was abused at the Hangang Park swimming pool located in Mapo-gu, Seoul."

Footage captured by the on-site closed-circuit television (CCTV) shows a man wearing dark-colored clothes approaching A and grabbing his head, then submerging it underwater. According to A's side, after A splashed water on the man's group, the enraged man grabbed A's head and repeatedly submerged it underwater before pulling it out. Despite A's middle school older sister nearby resisting, the man reportedly did not stop his actions.

A's sister told Channel A, "He told us to bring the parents, so I was trying to take my younger brother out, but suddenly he grabbed my brother and dunked him in the water repeatedly." A, who has a developmental disability, was so startled that he continued crying even after the police arrived. A's father immediately reported the incident to the police, but the man had already disappeared by then.

A's father stated, "His actions were not at the level of a joke. The child could have died if things went wrong," and criticized the police response, saying, "The police who arrived after 20 minutes told me to 'handle it myself' and said I should find the perpetrator and get an apology." However, the police said, "The officers who responded at the time never told anyone to find the perpetrator themselves," and added, "We are currently searching for the man in the video."