Incheon Middle School Student Assault Case, Offending Student Under Police Investigation

Recently, a female middle school student who slapped her classmate in a video that spread on social media, titled "Incheon Songdo 11-Year-Old School Violence Video," has been placed under police investigation.

On the 8th, the Incheon Yeonsu Police Department announced that it has placed student A, who is accused of assaulting her classmate, under non-custodial investigation.

Student A is facing allegations of hitting student B, who attends the same school, seven times on the cheek at an apartment parking lot in Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, last November. The incident has drawn controversy after a 1 minute and 39-second video circulated on social media.

On the 2nd, the police received a report stating that "a school violence video has been posted on social media" and took measures to delete the originally distributed video through the Korea Communications Standards Commission.

The video clearly shows A hitting B multiple times on the cheek, while the victim can be heard pleading, "I'm sorry. Please stop," yet the offending student continued the assault and hurled severe insults. The video captured all of these moments, further intensifying the public outrage.

Other students present in the vicinity did not intervene but instead laughed or filmed the incident.

Circumstances of the Incident and Follow-Up Actions

Victim B did not report the assault at the time it occurred but has since reported A and the student filming the incident to the Incheon City Eastern Education Support Office after the video was disseminated on social media.

The Incheon Education Office is set to investigate the case after receiving the school violence report from B.

The police plan to investigate not only A and B but also the individuals who filmed and disseminated the video. A police official stated, "Depending on the progress of the investigation, the number of individuals under investigation may increase," adding that details on the investigation of specific individuals cannot be disclosed.

As the controversy grew, a person presumed to be A posted an apology on Instagram.

In the post, the author stated, "I acted with childish thoughts last year and have been reflecting on my actions until now," and acknowledged that "the victim has forgiven me, but I believe she has received an irreparable wound from my behavior."

Additionally, the author expressed, "I sincerely apologize to those who may be angry and to the victim who has had a hard time," and requested, "Please help me to be punished correctly and to be able to live with my wits about me."

Image source: Instagram capture, reference images for the understanding of the article / gettyimagesbank