Korean taekwondo instructor jailed 30 years for fatal abuse of boy

While prosecutors had sought a life sentence, the court opted for a fixed 30-year term.PHOTO: PEXELS

SEOUL – A South Korean court sentenced a taekwondo instructor to 30 years in prison for the abuse of a five-year-old boy at his center that caused the child’s death.

On April 10, the Uijeongbu District Court handed down the sentence to the man in his 30s. It ordered him to complete 40 hours of child abuse treatment programs and barred him from working at children or youth-related institutions for 10 years.

According to the verdict, he placed the child upside down in rolled-up floor mats and left him in that position for 27 minutes, at his martial arts school in Yangju, Gyeonggi.

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“The defendant was aware of the risk that the child might die but failed to act,” the court said. “He also habitually abused more than 20 other children over a sustained period and dismissed his actions as mere play, casting doubt on the sincerity of his remorse.”

Apart from denying responsibility, he reportedly attempted to shift blame to another instructor and deleted closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera footage.

The court deemed his behavior as not only abusive but also indicative of a serious attempt at concealment and obstruction of justice.

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While prosecutors sought a life sentence, the court opted for a fixed 30-year term.

Investigations revealed that the defendant committed 124 instances of physical and emotional abuse against 26 children at the taekwondo school, including pinching cheeks and striking students.