When a child was told to say "oppa"... Jung Cheong-rae and Ha Jung-woo cleared of child abuse allegations

[Financial News] Jung Cheong-rae, former leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Ha Jung-woo, former Senior Presidential Secretary for AI Future Planning, who were accused of child abuse after telling an elementary school student to call Ha "oppa" during campaigning for the June 3 by-election, have been cleared of the allegations.
According to Maeil Sinbo on the 21st, the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency decided on June 17 not to refer Jung, the former party leader, and Ha, the former senior secretary, who had been accused of violating the Child Welfare Act.
During a campaign stop at Gupo Market in Busan on May 3, Jung asked a first-grade elementary school student he met there, "What grade are you in? This is Jung-woo oppa. Say oppa," and Ha also repeated the word "oppa."
As a video of the scene spread online, criticism of the two men intensified both inside and outside political circles.
At the time, the People Power Party reacted sharply, arguing that they had "violated children's rights."
People Power Party lawmaker Song Eon-seok criticized the pair on Facebook, saying, "Forcing a child to call someone 'oppa' is clearly child sexual abuse and a violation of human rights."
People Power Party Supreme Council member Kim Jae-won also said, "Isn't repeatedly telling an 8-year-old child to call someone oppa child abuse?" He added, "The Democratic Party seems intoxicated by power and unable to come to its senses."
As the controversy grew, Jung and Ha apologized to the child and the child's parents.
However, the education group Students, Parents and Teachers Human Rights Protection Solidarity filed a complaint with the Supreme Prosecutors' Office of the Republic of Korea (SPO), accusing the two of emotional abuse under the Child Welfare Act.
Police, which took over the case, investigated and concluded that there was no basis for prosecution.
A police official said, "While the remarks were inappropriate, they did not rise to the level of abuse," adding, "In fact, the victim's development was not hindered."
[email protected] Kim Su-yeon Reporter