The special education teacher who was found guilty in the first trial of emotionally abusing webtoon artist Ju Homin's son submitted a transcript of a recorded school meeting attended by Ju and his spouse two days after the incident to the appellate court.
At the first appellate trial on the 17th at the Suwon District Court Criminal Appeals Division 6 (Presiding Judges Shin Woo-jung, Yoo Jae-kwang, Kim Eun-jung) regarding teacher A's charges of violating the Act on the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes and the Welfare of Disabled Persons Act, the defense stated, "The first trial recognized the legitimacy of the victim's mother recording (the class content) to confirm child abuse, but we submitted the recording file from the previous day as evidence proving that this premise was incorrect."
On the 16th, A's defense submitted to the court a transcript of a school meeting held on September 15, 2022, concerning the victim child B. It is reported that this meeting took place two days after the child abuse incident involving A. The meeting was attended by A, Ju and his spouse, and the vice principal. The recording lasted approximately 1 hour and 43 minutes. The defense argued, "The meeting on September 15, 2022, regarding the separation measures for B, made no mention whatsoever of child abuse."
A was charged with emotionally abusing Ju's son (then 9 years old) on September 13, 2022, in a tailored learning class at an elementary school in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, by saying things like, "You have very bad manners. Ugh, I hate it. I hate you to death. I hate you. I hate you too. Really hate you." He received a suspended sentence with a fine of 2 million won in the first trial. The investigation began after Ju's side sent a recorder to the school with his son and reported A to the police for child abuse based on the recorded content. The admissibility of the 'secret recording' was a key issue in the trial, and although the first trial ruled that the recording was illegally obtained evidence as it recorded a conversation between others without disclosure, it recognized the evidence's admissibility considering the exceptional circumstances of the case and found A guilty of emotional abuse.
A's next trial is scheduled for 5 p.m. on the 19th of next month.
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