Teacher under probe after allegations she forced children to eat food

CCTV footage released by YTN shows a child reacting in fright, quickly covering his mouth as his teacher approaches him. The teacher is under police investigation for child abuse after forcing the child to eat his food. (Captured image from YTN)

A teacher at an English academy in Seoul is under police investigation for allegedly abusing a 6-year-old child because he was not eating his food.

CCTV footage released by YTN shows the child reacting in fright, quickly covering his mouth as the teacher approaches him. The teacher then grabs the child, pulling him out of the classroom. The 6-year-old is dragged on his knees and taken to a different room, where he is ordered to sit in the corner and look at his food while other children are allowed to play next to him.

The child was made to sit there for about an hour and a half as punishment for not eating his cabbage.

A report was made after the child's mother observed his odd behavior, which included apologizing profusely after he vomited at night.

Other parents also testified that the teacher was particularly strict with their children during mealtimes. "My daughter cried while eating at home. I told her not to eat but she said she had to eat everything. I got the impression she was under pressure to eat her food and I thought it was strange," said a father of a child in the same class.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Department's Women and Youth Crime Investigation Division launched a preliminary investigation into the teacher, including analyzing CCTV footage.

Following a series of complaints from parents, the school suspended the teacher. The teacher denied all allegations and claimed that she was trying to correct students' eating habits before they entered elementary school.

By Choi Jeong-yoon(jychoi@heraldcorp.com)