'5-Year-Old Abuse Death' Taekwondo Instructor Trial... Bereaved Family Anger at Master Present at Incident Scene

The Court Conducts Closed Hearing for Crime Witness Defendant

The second trial of the head instructor accused of abusing and causing the death of a five-year-old child at a Taekwondo academy was held.

On the 22nd, the Uijeongbu District Court Criminal Division 11 (Chief Judge Oh Chang-seop) held a hearing for Mr. A, a man in his 30s who was arrested and indicted on charges of child abuse resulting in death.

The Uijeongbu Police Station in Gyeonggi is transferring Taekwondo instructor Mr. A, who was arrested on charges of causing a 5-year-old child under his supervision to fall into cardiac arrest and unconsciousness, to the Uijeongbu District Prosecutors' Office. Photo by Yonhap News

On this day, three witnesses, including Mr. B, a junior instructor of Mr. A, appeared in court. Mr. B was present at the scene at the time of the incident.

However, the court proceeded with a closed hearing at Mr. B's request. The court stated, "Since the witness may feel burdened testifying publicly, the hearing will be held privately."

As a result, all spectators, including the bereaved family of the victim child, waited outside the courtroom, and friction occurred during their exit. The victim child’s mother verbally abused Mr. B, saying, "Why are you staring?" and was restrained by court officials.

Earlier, Mr. A is accused of placing C, a member of the academy, upside down into a mat (height 124 cm, hole diameter approximately 18?23 cm) at a Taekwondo academy in Yangju-si, Gyeonggi Province, on July 12, and leaving him there for 27 minutes, leading to his death.

The prosecution applied the charge of child abuse resulting in death, which carries the possibility of the death penalty, life imprisonment, or imprisonment for seven years or more, instead of child abuse causing death. This is because they found that Mr. A, even after C was found in a coma, did not provide appropriate aid but instead deleted CCTV footage, thereby destroying evidence and evading responsibility.