Teacher faces arrest for allegedly assaulting disabled students

By Park Si-soo

Police are seeking an arrest warrant for a teacher at a Seoul school for the disabled for allegedly assaulting two mentally challenged students.

The teacher, 46, surnamed Lee, is suspected of hitting the students, both aged 13, with a broomstick on 12 occasions and spraying water, which was a violation of the Child Welfare Law.

The teacher reportedly admitted the offences, but claimed the incidents were disciplinary, without malicious intent. He reportedly told police he had “lost composure and became violent after seeing the children misbehaving.”

Police started an investigation on June 20 based on a written complaint from the students' parents who saw CCTV footage in which another teacher, 39, surnamed Oh, was assaulting a student inside a school elevator.

Police analyzed a vast volume of footage recorded between May and July and concluded that 12 teachers, including Lee and Oh, were involved directly or indirectly in the violence. Some teachers were found to have overlooked the violence, said investigators.

Police have not yet decided how to deal with the other teachers involved.

“We reported the case to the education authorities, which I think would take disciplinary action against the teachers,” said an investigator familiar with the case.