“Is Grandpa Mangtae Child Abuse Too?” A Lawyer Weighs In on the Folk Village Ghost Experience Controversy

[Financial News] As a program at the Korean Folk Village in which an actor dressed as a ghost frightens children, called “Ghost’s Lesson,” came under fire over allegations of child abuse, a lawyer criticized it as “an excessive legal yardstick that infringes on normal parents’ right to discipline their children.” He argued that it was excessive to deem a one-time experience conducted with parental consent to be child abuse.
Jo Ki-hyun, managing attorney at Daehan Jungang Law Firm, said on the YouTube channel “Daehan Jungang Law Firm TV” on the 11th that “child abuse is a serious crime that must be treated strictly, but defining this case as abuse is an excessive leap.”
“Ghost’s Lesson” is an experiential program at the Korean Folk Village in which an actor dressed as a ghost scolds children for their bad habits with a frightening expression and tone of voice. It was run so that children could take part only if their guardians applied in person and gave their consent.
However, after videos of children becoming frightened and bursting into tears during the experience spread on social media (SNS), criticism arose that it could constitute emotional child abuse.
Jo compared the program with the story of Grandpa Mangtae, which parents in the past used when disciplining their young children.
He said, “When children threw tantrums in the past, their parents would discipline them by saying, ‘Grandpa Mangtae will take you away,’ but no one grows up claiming they were abused or traumatized because of Grandpa Mangtae.”
He continued, “If we start punishing every one-time experience and disciplinary measure carried out with parental consent just because a child felt a little scared, the normal system of discipline at home will inevitably collapse,” expressing concern that parents’ right to discipline their children could be curtailed.
Jo also voiced opposition to people who were not present at the experience raising child abuse concerns based solely on online videos.
He said, “The Folk Village also did not force the experience to continue if a child was extremely frightened or refused, in accordance with its guidelines,” adding, “It is unhealthy for third parties who have only watched the video to invoke the standards for criminal punishment and file complaints.”
He added, “If ‘overcriminalization’ and hypocritical moralism—the impulse to brand others as criminals whenever a minor inconvenience or disagreement arises—come to dominate society as a whole, legitimate rights to raise and educate children will be further curtailed.”
Nine complaints related to the program were filed with Yongin City through e-People and other channels. Police also reportedly received one request to investigate whether child abuse had occurred.
Yongin City visited the Korean Folk Village on the 9th to inspect how the program was being run.

Meanwhile, the Korean Folk Village plans to end the “Ghost’s Lesson” program as soon as its fall festival schedule concludes on the 15th.
The Folk Village explained that it was not ending the program early because of the child abuse controversy, but was wrapping it up according to the schedule originally set. It also said it would review the feedback raised this time and make improvements to how the program is run next year.

[email protected] Han Seung-gon Reporter