By Yun Suh-young
Two middle school students accused of bullying and apparently driving a teenager to commit suicide face arrest on charges of assaults, police said Sunday.
The students from a middle school in Daegu admitted to bullying the boy who killed himself last week.
The middle school student, 14, took his own life Tuesday by jumping from his apartment in Daegu. The four-page letter he left is creating a public uproar.
According to the suicide note, he was beaten, threatened, robbed and even tortured by the two classmates.
Specifically, it states that he was forced to play online games for them, do homework and take tests on their behalf and forced to earn money to pay for their games.
Abuses such as water torture, attempts to set his arm on fire and dragging him around with a collar around his neck and ordering him to eat food off the floor were inflicted.
Police are investigating whether the abuse really occurred.
They plan to review security camera footage at the victim’s apartment to see how many times the perpetrators entered the building. Police have currently restored the text messages sent between the victim and the two students.
The Daegu Metropolitan Office of Education said it will take measures to prevent school violence.
“I apologize on behalf of the Daegu school authorities. The education office will conduct a thorough investigation on the case and take preemptive measures,” said Woo Tong-ki, superintendent at the education office during a press conference Friday.