Teachers hit infants dozens of times, laughed — inside the Gangneung daycare abuse case

Details emerging from a child abuse case at a daycare center in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, have sparked public outrage after five teachers were indicted on charges of abusing infants around the age of one.

According to an indictment obtained by KBS, Teacher A struck a one-year-old's face five times on July 16 and faces charges of abusing children a total of 270 times between July and August — hitting them on the head and face with objects including a mobile phone and a tumbler.

Teacher B faces 214 counts of child abuse, including hitting a two-year-old's face with a diaper and striking the child's thighs by hand on July 6.

The two teachers are also accused of jointly abusing children on 12 separate occasions.

Teacher C had a child blow their nose with a tissue, then used the same tissue to cover the child's mouth for 34 seconds.

Abuse also included forcing toddlers to hit other children and withholding food from children who had been abused.

One child's parent described the abuse: "The teacher just grabs the baby's head out of nowhere while the child is quietly playing — yanks it up and drags it. The baby had no choice but to be lifted along." Another witness said: "The teacher kept pinching and poking, more than ten times, even as the baby tried to defend itself. How terrified must that child have been?"

Footage obtained by YTN showed a teacher striking a child dozens of times with a tumbler straw while two nearby teachers looked on and laughed. Other scenes captured teachers repeatedly hitting children with their bare hands and with objects they were holding, including mobile phones and toys.

After parents reviewed about two months of CCTV footage spanning early July through late August, more than 500 instances of suspected physical abuse involving children from eight families were identified. Most of the teachers have reportedly admitted to the charges.

The Gangneung branch of the Chuncheon District Prosecutors Office indicted the five daycare teachers on child abuse charges on Nov. 4. Three were indicted in detention and two without. Prosecutors are also reviewing whether to indict two additional individuals referred by police.

Parents of the victims expressed anger over their inability to obtain CCTV footage beyond the two months covering July and August, saying the full extent of the abuse is likely far greater than what has been confirmed. The affected children are currently showing symptoms suspected to be lasting effects of the abuse.