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Chuncheon kindergarten teacher investigated for alleged abuse of two 5-year-old students

Published: 20 Nov. 2025, 15:51 Updated: 20 Nov. 2025, 16:01

The police logo is pictured in this undated file photo. [JOONGANG ILBO]

A kindergarten teacher in Chuncheon, Gangwon, is under police investigation after two 5-year-old children said the teacher kicked them in the stomach during separate visits to a staff room earlier this month.

One student told her parents on Nov. 13 that her teacher kicked her in the stomach after calling her to the staff room when she failed to focus during a rehearsal for a school performance, Yonhap News reported Thursday.

She said the kick caused her to stumble backward and that the teacher continued scolding her even as she cried in pain.

Her parents reported the case to the police the next day and asked the kindergarten to review security footage, but the staff room camera had no network connection, so no video was available.

Police reviewed hallway surveillance camera footage, which showed the child following her homeroom teacher into the staff room, as she claimed. No other witnesses were present in the room at the time.

During the investigation, police learned that a boy in the same class had entered the staff room with the homeroom teacher earlier.

The boy later told his parents he was kicked in the stomach three times. He also said the teacher threatened to cut off his fingers with scissors because he had a habit of sucking his fingers.

The families of both children filed a complaint accusing the teacher of physical and emotional abuse in violation of the Child Welfare Act.

The kindergarten removed the homeroom teacher from the class and assigned a replacement.

The teacher is on leave and receiving psychiatric treatment.

The teacher denies the allegations and says the children were taken to the staff room for guidance and encouragement, not to be shouted at or hit. The teacher also denies telling the boy they would cut off his fingers, saying they had consistently guided him since the start of the semester to reduce his finger-sucking habit for hygiene and health reasons.

The Chuncheon Police Precinct plans to review recorded interviews of the children conducted at the Sunflower Center, a government agency that supports abuse victims, and refer the case to the Gangwon Provincial Police Agency within the week.

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 SHIN HYE-YEON [[email protected]]