SEOUL: A South Korean judo instructor in her 20s has been referred to prosecutors for allegedly choking two high school students unconscious during training at a gym in Gyeonggi Province, police said Thursday (Jan 8).
The Pyeongtaek Police Station said the suspect was sent to prosecutors late last month without detention on charges of child abuse under the Child Welfare Act.
Police allege the instructor repeatedly applied chokehold techniques to the students during a late-night training session in September at a judo academy in Pyeongtaek, pressing their necks while they were on the mat and rendering them unconscious. Investigators said the actions were carried out under the pretext of training.
One of the students told police she signaled submission by tapping the mat but that the instructor refused to release the hold, continuing while hurling insults and threats. The student said she lost consciousness multiple times.
Police said a second student was later summoned and subjected to similar treatment.
Investigators added that the victims believe the instructor acted after mistakenly thinking they had spoken negatively about her.
Authorities concluded the conduct went beyond accepted training practices and amounted to abuse, land forwarded the case to prosecutors. - The Korea Herald/ANN
