Exclusive "I'm an ugly mother." Interview with a 5-year-old mother who died at Taekwondo studio, no apology from the director.

YTN Radio (FM 94.5) [YTN News FM Wise Radio Life]
□ Broadcast Date: November 14, 2024 (Thursday)
□ Host: Announcer Lee Hyun-woong
□ Castor: KB Hong Min-ho Lawyer

* The text below may differ from the actual broadcast content, so please check the broadcast for more accurate information.

◆ announcer Lee Hyun-woong (hereinafter Lee Hyun-woong): Let's go to the Taekwondo studio case. I think you all know the incident in which a Taekwondo director killed a 4-year-old child by putting him upside down between thick mats.CCTV was recently released, and additional abuse was also released. I feel heavy. Let's connect with the lawyer in charge and talk. KB Hong Min-ho, a lawyer at the law firm, is on the phone. How are you?

◇Law Firm KB Hong Min-ho (hereinafter referred to as Hong Min-ho): Hello. I'm Hong Min-ho, a lawyer at KB Law Firm.

◆ Lee Hyun-woong: Many people remember this incident. Recently, the CCTV video has been released, and it is receiving a lot of attention. First, the suspect deleted the CCTV video, but this has been restored, right?

◇ Hong Min-ho: Yes, that's right. It was restored through forensics during the investigation process.

◆ Lee Hyun-woong: And I heard that the mother of the victim decided to disclose it, but I don't think it would have been easy to decide to disclose it. Is there a reason for your decision?

◇ Hong Min-ho: First of all, I understand that you wanted what happened to the victim to never be repeated again. In addition, during the trial, the defendant consistently repeated the claim that the death of the victim was caused by simple negligence and that there was no causal relationship between the death of the victim and his own negligence. I think you were deeply frustrated by these claims. That's why I heard you decided to disclose this.

◆ Lee Hyun-woong: It's quite shocking even to others, not to the person involved in the incident. It's really hard to talk about how shocked my mother would have been when she first encountered this video, but what did she say when she saw the CCTV?

◇ Hong Min-ho: In fact, the mother of the victim's child had never checked the CCTV footage of the victim's last moments before. Only recently have you cleared my mind and confirmed the last moment of the victim, and I understand that you were shocked as you said in the process. At the same time, he is blaming himself and suffering every day for not being able to be with him, saying that he is an ugly mother.

◆Lee Hyun-woong: Can you tell me how you feel right now and how you contacted me recently?

◇Hong Min-ho: I'm rather encouraged right now. In order not to repeat the same incident as the victim's child again, I think a lot of people want to know this case to the society and reveal the problem even if they sacrifice themselves a little.

◆ Lee Hyun-woong: In addition to what caused the death, the circumstances of the abuse have been revealed. It is said that there are as many as 140 times, but has there been long-term child abuse?

◇Hong Min-ho: I understand that we are still investigating what you said. So, there are still a lot of caution to affirm that there has been child abuse in the long run. However, it is understood that what the victim experienced while attending the Taekwondo studio was not common.

◆ Lee Hyun-woong: First of all, we need to take a closer look at these parts during the investigation process, and have additional victims who were abused been identified?

◇ Hong Min-ho: In addition to the victim, some parents of the same age who went to the Taekwondo studio in this case filed a criminal complaint against the defendant on charges of child abuse.

◆ Lee Hyun-woong: Other parents also see the situation when they see the CCTV, but there was no one stopping the suspect at the time of the incident. I don't think I was alone in those parts.I don't understand well, but is there a situation where I think it was a little routine abuse?

◇ Hong Min-ho: I think that's how you can judge it. According to our confirmation throughout the trial process, the authority of the defendant, who was the director, was absolute. It's also the most important thing. It seems that the defendant himself was not well aware of the problems of his actions.

◆ Lee Hyun-woong: So you seem to be repeating the same argument now, and the investigation has been completed and sent to the prosecution. How is the trial going?

◇ Hong Min-ho: The trial is currently underway against the accused on charges of violating the Act on Special Cases concerning the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes, etc. and murdering child abuse. As part of the evidence investigation, the trial was conducted on witnesses for other offenders and criminals who were on the scene on the same day. On the next trial date, the defendant will be questioned.

◆ Lee Hyun-woong: Okay. I saw the CCTV too, and as many of you may have seen it, it's really horrible.I think it would be safe to regard it as murder if the perpetrator's actions were this much, but there was no intention. I'm wondering if this can work as an excuse. What do you think?

◇ Hong Min-ho: I don't know. It's hard for us to talk about the direction of the defendant's defense, but what I want to say is that the defendant is obligated to report child abuse. If there is child abuse against the child he protects, he is obligated to report it. Also, because they were in a position to refer to children of their age for a long time, such behavior did not have a causal relationship with their behavior and the death of our victim children. Or, the claim that it was unintentional seems a little unreasonable from our point of view.

◆ Lee Hyun-woong: And what made many people doubt their ears is that the mother of the child gave up life-sustaining treatment, which is the cause of death. What do you think of this suspect's claim?

◇ Hong Min-ho: As an agent of the victim's bereaved family, as a person who knows the process from the victim's brain death to the decision to suspend life-sustaining treatment, refuting the defendant's claim as mentioned above feels like a crime to the victim and his or her bereaved family.However, as you know, the bereaved family cannot carelessly stop life-sustaining treatment for patients who have been diagnosed with brain death. There are only times when the medical staff determined that they were on their deathbed. Regarding that, I don't want to talk about it anymore because my heart is so hard.

◆ Lee Hyun-woong: Okay. It is not easy to quote this and ask questions.Did the suspect apologize by any chance?

◇Hong Min-ho: I've never received an apology officially. However, during the trial, the defendant's attorney once used the expression "I apologize instead" to the victim's bereaved family.

◆ Lee Hyun-woong: I apologize instead. It's almost time. I think I heard that your mother wants to leave a message on the show, but if you can deliver it for us.

◇ Hong Min-ho: It must be really hard for your mother to keep reflecting on what happened to the victim. However, the mother of the victim is doing this interview in the hope that similar things will not be repeated again. I hope that children who are hurt by similar crimes will never be hurt again or parents who are hurt.

◆ Lee Hyun-woong: That's all for today. It was lawyer Hong Minho. Thank you.

◇ Hong Min-ho: Yes, thank you.