Webtoon artist Joo Ho-min has suspended his activities following the ruling of the appeals court.
On the 13th, Joo Ho-min posted a statement regarding the verdict on his YouTube channel community. He began, "The second trial court focused on the legal validity of evidence rather than addressing the issue of abuse."
On the same day, the Suwon District Court's Criminal Appeal Division 6-2 (Chief Judge Kim Eun-jung, Kang Hee-kyung, Kwak Hyung-seob) acquitted a special education teacher, referred to as A, who was charged with abusing Joo Ho-min's son, overturning the guilty verdict of the first trial.
Joo Ho-min announced his suspension of activities, stating, "I am heavy-hearted as I cannot find an answer to how to prove the abuse of a disabled child, which is difficult to express. For the time being, I intend to quietly stay by my family's side."
He added, "Even though this result was contrary to our wishes, I respect the court's decision." The Joo Ho-min family will quietly observe the prosecution's appeal process that will take place in the future.
In September 2022, Joo Ho-min reported the special education teacher A for child abuse. At that time, he raised the issue of A’s verbal abuse toward his son, which included statements like, "You have very bad habits. I hate it so much. I dislike you."
A received a suspended fine of 2 million won during the first trial held on February 1. In response, organizations such as the National Union of Special Education Teachers protested, calling it "a misjudgment that instantly reverses the progress made in disability awareness and inclusive education."
<Photo Source: Captured from Joo Ho-min's Instagram>
