Cheonan Middle Schoolers Assault Intellectually Disabled Friend; Attackers Claim 'Juvenile Offender' Status

Police have launched an investigation into middle school students in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, who allegedly carried out a brutal two-hour assault on an intellectually disabled peer last month. The perpetrators allegedly forced the victim to remove his underwear and filmed him for one to two minutes. They also forcibly opened his mouth and made him eat snails. The victim stated that the student who led the assault continued the violence, claiming it was acceptable because he was a juvenile offender.

It was also reported that the attackers threatened to assault him again if he reported them. One of the perpetrators is believed to have participated in this incident as retaliation for being reported for school violence two months prior. Notably, some of the perpetrators reportedly stated during the assault, 'I'm a juvenile offender, so I won't go to juvenile detention,' leading to calls for societal discussion on the juvenile offender punishment and protection system. Currently, five perpetrators have been suspended from school until the results of the School Violence Committee are announced.