Another Taekwondo Studio Suspected of Child Abuse: 7-Year-Old Suffers Fractured Leg During Forced Splits

[Anchor]

Another incident suspected of child abuse has occurred at a Taekwondo studio. A 7-year-old child suffered a fractured thighbone after being subjected to so-called forced splits by the studio director. The director explained that it happened while trying to grab the child as the child was struggling.

Reporter Jeong Jiyeon has the story.

[Reporter]

On June 18, at a Taekwondo studio in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.

The Taekwondo studio director, surnamed A, roughly grabs a running child and lays them down on a mat.

Director A then holds both of the child's legs to spread them apart, and presses down hard with body weight.

The child struggles as if in pain and even signals to stop, but the pressure does not stop.

The victim, who is 7 years old, suffered a fractured femur from this incident and is still unable to walk properly two months later.

[Victim's Parent: The emergency room doctor told me that children's bones bend and do not just snap like this. They said that for a fracture of this magnitude, child abuse is somewhat suspected.]

It is reported that Director A explained to the victim's parents that it was part of a disciplinary process because the child was not focusing while preparing for a belt promotion test.

In a phone call with SBS, Director A stated, "It wasn't that I forced the splits, but rather it happened while I was grabbing the student's legs as the student was thrashing around during the guidance process."

Following a complaint filed by the child's parents, the police have booked Director A on charges of child abuse and initiated an investigation.

[Victim's Parent: (When I asked) how many times this had happened before, they said it happened about 11 times. They said the child ran away because they were terrified of doing the splits.]

In 2024, an incident also occurred at a Taekwondo studio in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, where a director placed a 5-year-old child upside down between mats and left them unattended for 30 minutes, leading to death.

Critics point out that Taekwondo studios, which are classified as sports facilities, should be subject to the Academy Act just like regular cram schools so that proactive measures can be taken against acts of child abuse.

[Cho Kihyun / Child Abuse Attorney: There is no direct legal basis to forcibly close a studio or suspend its operations based solely on the act of child abuse itself. There isn't one.]

As Taekwondo studios are facilities frequently used to fill after-school care gaps, concrete complementary measures appear necessary to protect children.

(Camera: Yang Jihoon | Video Editing: Seeun | Design: Yeji)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.