CCTV Captures Hitting Solar Plexus and Choking
Kindergarten Director Claims "Unaware of Teacher Abuse"
However, Suspicion Remains Due to Partial CCTV Loss
A kindergarten teacher in Daegu has been revealed to have continuously abused six-year-old children for several months, and it has been uncovered that the teacher even threatened the children to prevent them from informing their parents about the abuse.
Recently, MBC's 'True Story Expedition' aired interviews with the parents of the victims. Mr. A, a male kindergarten teacher who worked for six years at a kindergarten in Dalseo-gu, Daegu, and was reputed among parents for his strict discipline, was found to have used 'violence' as his method of discipline. Parent B, who accidentally learned about the teacher's abuse while talking with their child, requested the kindergarten to show CCTV footage. The footage showed Mr. A forcefully pushing the children, hitting their solar plexus, and choking them.
Initially, Mr. A claimed, "I only pretended to hit the air near their stomachs to warn them," but when the evidence surfaced, he made an absurd excuse, saying, "I felt bad when I heard the children say they were scolded by other teachers. So I thought it would be better if only I scolded them."
There was also a reason why the children did not report the abuse earlier despite months of mistreatment. After abusing the children, Mr. A would ask, "Are you going to tell (your guardian)? Or keep it a secret?" to silence them. Additionally, parent C testified, "My child said the teacher told them, 'There is a camera at your home that only I can see, and others cannot. So I can watch you and know what you say through that camera,'" adding, "So my child kept looking for the camera at home and really disliked it."
Parent D of a child who graduated from Mr. A's class said, "When I asked my child, 'Have you ever been scolded? Why didn't you tell me then?' they said, 'I was afraid you might faint,'" expressing their heartbreak. Another victimized child appealed, "Life is hard," saying, "Going to kindergarten and eating meals, everything is difficult."
The kindergarten director, Mr. E, claimed he "could not have imagined" and was unaware of Mr. A's abuse, but there are criticisms that the abuse was openly happening within the kindergarten. Not only was a teaching assistant sitting right next to Mr. A while he was abusing the children caught on CCTV, but even five-year-old children testified, "We saw the older kids (six-year-old class) being hit," and "We saw it together with teacher ○○○."
Parents expressed disbelief at the claim that the director was unaware, noting that Mr. A's classroom faces the director's office through a large window. Furthermore, suspicions grew as the kindergarten deleted some of the CCTV footage showing signs of abuse. It was also revealed that Mr. E is not legally qualified to be a director and has been operating the kindergarten under the name of another person who holds the director qualification.
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