Police Refer Kindergarten Principal and Teacher in Seongju Over Systematic Child Abuse

The Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Agency announced on August 3 that it has referred a teacher at a public kindergarten in Seongju-gun, North Gyeongsang Province, to prosecutors without detention on charges of habitual child abuse under the Child Welfare Act.

Police also applied Child Welfare Act charges to the kindergarten's principal, referring the individual without detention for failing to properly manage staff to prevent child abuse.

According to police, the teacher, identified as A, is accused of habitually abusing a child, identified as B, over a three-month period starting in April of last year by forcing the child to eat and poking the child's hands and legs with a sharp needle.

Launching an investigation following a report from the victim's parents, police analyzed closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage within the kindergarten to confirm the alleged child abuse, and forwarded the two individuals, including teacher A and the kindergarten principal, to prosecutors in June.

A police official stated, "The principal was not involved in the child abuse acts, but was held accountable for supervisory negligence," adding, "We cannot disclose detailed information regarding the case."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.