South Korean Headmistress Sees Jail Sentence Reduced for Child Abuse
A South Korean headmistress, who was previously sentenced to 19 years in jail for abusing an infant of Vietnamese origin to death, had her sentence reduced to 18 years following an appeal. The headmistress, only identified as Kim, was convicted by the Suwon District Criminal Court of Appeal on Thursday.
You may also like to watch : Who Is Kamala Harris? Biography - Parents - Husband - Sister - Career - Indian - Jamaican Heritage
The incident occurred in November 2022 when nine-month-old Cheon Dong-min, whose parents were Vietnamese, was sent to the Hwaseong nursery in Gyeonggi Province. Kim, frustrated that the child refused to sleep, used a pillow and piled it on him for 14 minutes. After Cheon became unresponsive, Kim left the child buried under the blankets for three hours. She later tried to resuscitate the child and called for medical help but was arrested soon after.
Kim’s initial sentence was considered “unfair” by her, leading her to file an appeal. The judges found it difficult to determine whether the murder was intentional and acknowledged that certain abuse accusations do not result in charges, leading to the reduction in sentence.
The case has sparked strong public outcry and calls for the protection of teachers’ rights and authority against unruly students and their parents in South Korea. A survey conducted by Yonhap News Agency and Yonhap News TV in August revealed that 74.3% of respondents supported granting educators immunity from child abuse charges for actions taken for educational reasons. Subsequently, hundreds of thousands of teachers rallied in Seoul to demand rights protection.
The reduction in Kim’s sentence has received mixed reactions from the public. While some argue that the punishment is still not sufficient for such a heinous crime, others believe that the reduction was justified based on the difficulty in proving intent.
You may also like to watch: Is US-NATO Prepared For A Potential Nuclear War With Russia - China And North Korea?
The tragic case highlights the importance of safeguarding the welfare of children and the need for stricter measures to prevent child abuse. It also calls for a comprehensive review of the justice system to ensure that appropriate punishments are handed out for such crimes.
