CCTV footage from an infant daycare center in Gangneung appears to show caregivers striking and restraining very young children while nearby staff members watch without intervening. In one sequence, a teacher allegedly holds a one-year-old child’s head and covers the child’s mouth with a used tissue for about 10 seconds. Another sequence appears to show a teacher repeatedly hitting a child with a tumbler straw as other teachers laugh.
Additional footage cited in the case allegedly shows caregivers pushing a toy into a child’s mouth, striking a child’s head with a fork during a meal, punching the back of a child who would not remain seated, and hitting a child’s face with a diaper. These descriptions concern conduct visible in released footage and allegations listed in an indictment. Criminal responsibility has not been finally determined and will be decided through court proceedings.
- Defendants
- Five daycare teachers
- Reported victims
- Fourteen children, mostly one year old
- Custody status
- Three detained and two indicted without detention
Five daycare teachers have been sent to trial on child abuse charges, according to investigative and prosecutorial authorities. Three were detained and two were indicted without detention. The reported victims total 14 and are mostly one year old. Prosecutors allege that one child experienced more than 320 abusive acts over roughly 50 days, while the indictment separately identifies 10 instances in which teachers allegedly acted together. Those figures describe different parts of the case and should not be added together.
Footage places staff conduct under scrutiny
The allegations concern direct physical acts by caregivers responsible for children who were too young to protect themselves or clearly report what happened. The footage also raises concern about staff conduct around the alleged abuse because other teachers are shown nearby without stopping it. The available evidence does not establish why the conduct continued or what internal safeguards were in place at the center.
Parents have formed an emergency response committee and plan rallies outside Gangneung city offices and investigative agencies. They are demanding stronger measures and strict punishment for the defendants. The court proceedings will determine whether the acts described in the footage and indictment are proven and what responsibility each defendant bears.