Taekwondo instructor accused of child abuse after forcing student into splits, leaving boy with 8-week injury

A taekwondo instructor in his 30s has been reported to police on charges of child abuse after allegedly forcing a young student into a splits position, prompting an investigation.

The Gyeonggi Province Southern Police Agency's women's safety division received a complaint against the instructor, identified only as A, at a taekwondo studio in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, on charges of violating the Child Welfare Act through physical abuse, Yonhap reported Monday.

A is accused of grabbing both legs of a male student, identified as B, who is under 10 years old, and forcibly spreading them apart in a splits motion at the studio he operates. The incident occurred on June 18.

According to the complaint, B sustained injuries to his legs and other areas requiring eight weeks of medical treatment. His parents reviewed CCTV footage from the studio and filed a police complaint against A on July 24.

Police completed their initial interview with the complainants at the Yongin East Police Station and transferred the case to the Gyeonggi Province Southern Police Agency, a higher-level authority, given that B is under 10 years old.