8-year-old girl paralyzed during private hapkido lesson, with instructor accused of negligence
Published: 14 Nov. 2025, 16:19
![A girl surnamed Kim, who became paralyzed from the waist down after practicing a back handspring at a gym in Goesan County, North Chungcheong, jumps on a beach in Donghae two days before the accident. [JOONGANG ILBO]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/11/14/63e2c63c-d3ed-4ddd-b482-88da473df92a.jpg)
A girl surnamed Kim, who became paralyzed from the waist down after practicing a back handspring at a gym in Goesan County, North Chungcheong, jumps on a beach in Donghae two days before the accident. [JOONGANG ILBO]
An 8-year-old girl surnamed Kim from Goesan County, North Chungcheong, suffered a spinal injury on May 20 while practicing a back handspring — a back tumbling maneuver — during a private hapkido class at a local gym.
Hapkido is a Korean martial art that incorporates elements from aikido, a Japanese self-defense art.
Her parents took her to hospitals in Goesan, Cheongju and Seoul, where doctors performed spinal and neurological examinations. The day after the accident, she was diagnosed with lower-body paralysis. She is now undergoing rehabilitation.
Her 46-year-old mother said that her world collapses a little whenever she sees her daughter.
“When the doctor told me, ‘Your child will no longer be able to walk,’ everything went dark,” she said tearfully. “She has been in a wheelchair for half a year and continues rehabilitation, but she cannot stand or walk on her own.”
According to the JoongAng Ilbo, the girl attempted a back tumbling maneuver at about 5:30 p.m. under her instructor's watch.
CCTV footage from the gym shows the girl assuming a “bridge” position — arching her body upward — as her instructor supports her waist to guide the flip. As soon as she flips, her left leg gives out, and she falls flat on her back, landing heavily. She stays on the floor for more than 20 seconds.
Police said the girl continued her lesson for about 30 more minutes. During that time, she repeatedly touched her lower back, appearing visibly distressed, and even collapsed multiple times. Investigators determined that her instructor did not pay attention to these warning signs.
![A girl surnamed Kim, who became paralyzed from the waist down after practicing a back handspring at a gym in Goesan County, North Chungcheong, undergoes rehabilitation. [JOONGANG ILBO]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/11/14/c79ac0a7-07c7-4525-9d59-842f813f54e4.jpg)
A girl surnamed Kim, who became paralyzed from the waist down after practicing a back handspring at a gym in Goesan County, North Chungcheong, undergoes rehabilitation. [JOONGANG ILBO]
“My daughter told [the instructor] that her back hurt, but they didn’t take any measures [to help her] and made her continue stretching,” said her parent. “When she went to change her clothes to go home, she suddenly collapsed and couldn’t get up. By the time she came home in the academy’s van, she had to be carried on their back.”
The girl's injury was labeled under the “A” level on the American Spinal Injury Association impairment scale, indicating complete paralysis of the lower body due to a spinal cord injury.
A second-grader in elementary school, she had been training at the gym for three years. She loves K-pop groups like aespa and IVE and used to enjoy dancing, her mother said.
“My daughter had no pre-existing health conditions aside from the occasional cold and was a healthy, active child who loved running around the playground,” the parent added. “It breaks my heart [...] when she tells me she wants to go to school to see her friends.”
Her parents have accused the instructor of negligence. “If she had been taken to a hospital immediately after the injury, the worst-case outcome of paralysis might have been avoided,” the parent said. They also argued that the mat used during practice was only 1 centimeter (0.39 inches) thick, which worsened the impact.
![A girl surnamed Kim practices a back handspring with assistance from her instructor at a gym in Goesan County, North Chungcheong, on May 20. [SCREEN CAPTURE]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/11/14/560d53df-0cde-4e71-bea0-e9e41046c33c.jpg)
A girl surnamed Kim practices a back handspring with assistance from her instructor at a gym in Goesan County, North Chungcheong, on May 20. [SCREEN CAPTURE]
“It’s a serious problem that these decisions [on whether a student is injured] are left entirely to an instructor’s personal judgment,” said the parent. “To prevent similar accidents, we need proper standards regarding the safety of child sports facilities and instructor qualifications.”
The instructor told police that the causal link between the accident and the girl's paralysis was “uncertain” and that they “did not recognize the severity of the injury at the time.”
Although the instructor sent a message to the parents shortly after the accident, saying they regretted “overlooking” signs of pain and should have been “more attentive,” the two parties have not reached an agreement on medical expenses or other compensation. The case is also undergoing a police investigation.
The JoongAng Ilbo repeatedly attempted to reach the instructor for comment but received no reply. The Cheongju Sangdang Police Precinct recently sent them — without detention — to prosecutors on charges of occupational negligence resulting in injury.
A police official said the instructor “appears to have failed to take appropriate safety measures,” but added, “It is difficult to give detailed answers because the two sides’ claims differ.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHOI JONG-KWON [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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