The parents of an elementary school student in Cheongju who assaulted her homeroom teacher have filed a criminal complaint accusing the teacher and two other school officials of child abuse.
According to police and education authorities on the 17th, the parents of a fifth-grade student identified as A at an elementary school in Cheongju filed the complaint on Sept. 3 against three people: the homeroom teacher, identified as B, the vice principal and another teacher.
In the complaint, the parents argued that the school had failed to respond adequately to the incident in which the student assaulted the teacher and others, according to accounts of the filing.
An official at the provincial office of education said the office had recently been notified by police and administrative authorities of a child abuse report related to the case. "We are looking into the details, including the grounds for the complaint," the official said.
The student attacked the teacher at about 8:40 a.m. on Sept. 2 in a classroom at her school, punching the teacher in the face and head and kicking the teacher, authorities said.
Video of the incident showed the student grabbing the teacher by the hair while striking the teacher. The footage drew wider public attention after it was reported in the media.
A day earlier, the student had sworn at the teacher over what she said was a dirty exam paper handed out in class and was sent home. Investigators found she assaulted the teacher the next day after the teacher announced that the test would be taken again.
The student also swore at the vice principal and three or four other teachers who tried to stop the assault and continued to cause a disturbance, according to authorities. The teacher, who was left in shock by the incident, has been on leave and has not returned to work.
