Joo Ho-min, who filed a complaint against a special education teacher, urges the Supreme Court to “recognize an exception to the recording ban”

[Financial News] Webtoon artist Joo Ho-min has called on the Supreme Court to make an exception for secret recordings by third parties when people, such as children with developmental disabilities, have difficulty explaining their victimization or preserving evidence themselves.
Joo attended a press conference held in front of the Supreme Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 6th by 10 disability organizations, including Solidarity for the Promotion of Disability Discrimination Prohibition. He said, “Please establish a standard that allows the law to reach people who have difficulty speaking for themselves or preserving evidence.”
Speaking about his son’s situation, he said, “My son has autism,” and added, “My son was 9 at the time of the incident and cannot explain what happened to him.”
He also took issue with the differing rulings on the admissibility of the recording as evidence at the first trial and on appeal. Joo said, “The recording made by my child’s mother on his behalf was accepted as evidence of abuse at the first trial, but was not accepted at the second because it had been made by a parent.” He added, “Even though the same words were recorded, that voice was erased from the trial depending on who pressed the button.”
He went on to say that he was not calling for recording to be allowed in every classroom. Joo said, “I’m not saying we should put recording devices in every classroom,” and asked, “If recording is not even allowed for people who cannot explain their victimization or preserve evidence in places with neither CCTV nor witnesses, how can they protect themselves?”
Joo joined the participants in holding placards bearing the words ‘Recognize exceptions to the recording ban, guarantee the right to defend against abuse’ and chanting slogans.
After the press conference, they personally submitted to the Supreme Court a petition signed by around 24,000 people.
He also expressed gratitude to those who signed the petition. Joo said, “You signed even though you don’t know our family well,” adding, “It’s because you understood that this is not just a problem for one child or one family, but an issue affecting many people who have difficulty speaking for themselves.” He continued, “Our child has become a teenager and is gradually learning to speak. I hope they will tell their own story in their own voice, and I’ll speak on their behalf until that day.”

Earlier, in 2022, Joo recorded remarks using a recorder he had placed in his son’s bag—“You have terrible manners. Ugh, I hate you. I hate you so much. I said I hate you. I hate you too. I really hate you”—and then filed a complaint accusing the special education teacher of child abuse.
The trial court accepted the recording as admissible evidence and deferred imposing a 2 million won fine on A.
The appellate court, however, reached a different conclusion. It ruled that the secretly recorded material constituted a ‘conversation between other people that was not made public’ under the Protection of Communications Secrets Act and was therefore inadmissible as evidence. It overturned the first-trial ruling and acquitted the defendant.
The prosecution appealed to the Supreme Court, and the case is now awaiting its ruling.
Meanwhile, Joo has worked as a cartoonist and webtoon artist, producing works including ‘Jjam,’ ‘Infinite Power’ and ‘Along with the Gods.’


[email protected] Han Seung-gon Reporter