South Korea to Begin Child Abuse Inspections of Elementary School Children After Murder

Elementary school students in South Korea will be facing increased scrutiny from teachers for signs of child abuse this year:

South Korea will check all 480,000 children set to enter elementary school this year for signs of child abuse, the Education Ministry said Sunday (Feb 5).

“If soon-to-be enrollees are unaccounted for, failing to show up at preliminary meetings organised by their designated schools, we will pay a visit to their houses and check their living situation,” said an official from the Education Ministry.

This marks the first time that the government conducts a nationwide inspection of pre-school children, after a high-profile case last year revealed a loophole in the current education system to detect child abuse cases.

In February 2016, the body of seven-year-old boy named Shin Won Young, who had been locked up and beaten for three months by his stepmother – was found months after his death.  [Strait Times]

You can read more at the link, but there have been other cases of kids not showing up to school and months later have been found to be killed by their parents.