A public kindergarten teacher in Sejong City, who was officially recognized as having suffered a violation of teaching rights by a student and parent, has been sued for child abuse by the same parent without being separated from the student.
According to the Sejong branch of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union and other sources, the parent of a special education student at the kindergarten filed a complaint against teacher A on charges of child abuse last week.
After discovering red marks on the child's body, the parent claimed that teacher A had choked the child's neck, but teacher A stated, "I understand that the child scratched themselves because it was itchy."
Receiving the complaint, the Sejong Provincial Police Agency launched an investigation on October 30 by visiting the kindergarten and securing CCTV footage.
Previously in July, the parent also filed child abuse complaints against four individuals, including teacher A, two other teachers, the kindergarten principal, and the vice-principal. This case is still under police investigation.
When the student's aggressive behavior repeated, the child was handed over to the family in accordance with an agreement reached through the Office of Education's dispute mediation committee, which the parent argued constituted neglect.
Teachers reported the student and parent for infringement of teaching rights after the student repeatedly inflicted injuries—such as biting teachers—and damaged classroom furniture and educational tools.
In response, the Sejong City Office of Education's Teachers' Rights Protection Committee ordered the parent to issue a written apology and the student to undergo psychological therapy in August.
However, even after this, the student continued to attend the same kindergarten and was not separated from teacher A.
The Sejong branch of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union stated that although the parent applied for a transfer to a nearby kindergarten, the application was rejected by the Office of Education's Special Education Operations Committee.
Teacher A claimed to have been repeatedly bitten on the arms and hands by the student, requiring tetanus shots, and even received a diagnosis of a concussion last July, with another lip-biting incident occurring recently.
Teacher A expressed frustration, saying, "Even though I reported a violation of teaching rights, my rights as a teacher are not being practically protected, and it seems the child's right to education comes first. I question how I can actively provide education while facing a child abuse lawsuit myself."
(Reported by Jung Da-eun | Video by Kim Min-ji | Graphics by Lee Jung-joo | Produced by SBS Digital News)
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