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Child ordered to pay $16,000 for throwing rock at friend: 'The defendant was crying'

Published: 20 Apr. 2025, 14:02 Updated: 20 Apr. 2025, 17:58

An elementary school field in Sejong [YONHAP]

A court ordered an elementary school student to pay 22 million won ($16,000) in damages to a friend whose face they'd thrown a rock at on the school playground in October 2023.

The Busan District Court ordered the perpetrator to pay the victim and the victim's parents 18 million won in damages and held their parents jointly liable for 2 million won each, legal sources said Sunday.

The incident occurred on Oct. 5, 2023, when the perpetrator threw a rock at the plaintiff while playing in a school playground in Busan.

The rock caused multiple facial injuries: a 1-centimeter (0.4-inch) wound below the left eye, a 2-centimeter wound on the left cheek and a 1-centimeter cut below the nose.

A hospital appointed by the court for medical assessment concluded that the injuries would require cosmetic surgery and multiple laser treatments. While some improvement is expected with treatment, the hospital noted that some scarring may remain permanently.

Elementary school students in Seoul on Feb. 12 [NEWS1]

Following the incident, the school's violence countermeasures committee ordered the perpetrator to write a letter to the plaintiff.

The defense had argued that the child, being only nine years old, lacked legal capacity and should not be held liable. However, the judge rejected the claim.

“The witness to the act testified that the defendant was crying after the action, saying that they 'might be sent to the school violence committee,'” said the judge. “This indicated the student had sufficient mental awareness to understand the consequences of their actions.”

Regarding parental responsibility, the court stated, “Parents have a duty to provide daily guidance and supervision to ensure their minor children do not commit harmful acts against others. The defendants neglected this duty, and that negligence contributed to the incident. Therefore, the parents are also jointly liable for damages.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.

BY HYEON YE-SEUL [[email protected]]