Wrestling Coach Hits Student's Head with a Shovel, Claims "It Was an Accident with a Sink"
An incident where a coach hit a student's head with a shovel attached to metal has recently come to light at a middle school wrestling club in Sangju, Gyeongsangbuk-do.
On the 11th, Money S reported that on June 5, Coach B of the wrestling club struck the head of 15-year-old student A with the metal-edged shovel, causing a laceration that required stitching.
According to the report, A suffered severe injuries that required sutures. At the time, Coach B falsely explained to the parents that A was injured after hitting a sink, trying to cover up the incident.
Shortly after the incident, A's parents reported the matter to the Wee Center under the Gyeongsangbuk-do Office of Education, which handles school violence. However, they only received a response saying, "Please wait, as there is another incident." As a result, the case reportedly remained buried for about two months.
School Claims "Completely Unaware of Assault or Hospital Treatment"
Despite this, the violence continued. On July 28, A sent a text message to his family expressing gratitude, before attempting to jump from the 14th floor of an apartment building. Fortunately, A's father discovered him and was able to prevent this extreme decision.
The school claimed, "We were completely unaware of the assault or any hospital treatment," stating that there were no reports from the coach or any processing of injury insurance.
However, there are allegations of inadequate management, as the school failed to recognize a student suffering a severe head injury despite having dedicated teachers for the sports team.
Furthermore, an acquaintance of Coach B claimed, "A had talent, but there were issues with his training attitude," making statements that seemed to justify the violence.
"Student Hit with a Shovel, Yet It's a 'Minor Incident'?"… Controversy Over Ministry of Education's Lax Attitude
The director of the school violence response department of the Gyeongsangbuk-do Office of Education stated, "We have not yet grasped the facts," and drew a line by saying, "Minor incidents are handled by the education support agency."
The education authorities’ casual classification of the assault, where a student was hit with a metal object, as a "minor incident" is likely to face criticism.
Meanwhile, concerns have been raised regarding the inadequate initial response from educational authorities, potentially violating the duties of sincerity under the National Public Service Act, dereliction of duty, and Article 13 of the Act on Prevention and Measures Against School Violence due to failure to implement victim protection measures.
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