Joo Ho-min on Suing His Son's Special Ed Teacher: "I Have Nothing to Say"

Webtoon artist and creator Joo Ho-min has spoken candidly about his experience as the parent of a child with a developmental disability, addressing the social backlash and legal uncertainty surrounding his case ahead of a Supreme Court ruling.

In a video titled "I Walk My Own Path" posted to his YouTube channel on the 10th, Joo said that "online spaces are flooded with fragmented takes" on disability issues, and argued that society has lost the willingness to tolerate even minor inconveniences. "There needs to be a process of living together and getting used to each other," he said, "but right now an atmosphere has formed where people refuse to put up with even the smallest discomfort."

Joo acknowledged the difficulty of asking for understanding when his child is the source of disruption. "Ultimately, you have no choice but to rely on the other person's goodwill," he said, "but the moment your own child is the one being harmed, emotions take over — that's just human nature. When someone says, 'What would you do if it were your child?' — I have nothing to say."

On the legal proceedings, Joo framed the core issue as a conflict between protecting communications privacy and protecting victims. Regardless of the outcome, he said he intends to continue on his own path. "If the teacher's acquittal is confirmed, the criticism will pour in — but I won't be part of that debate," he said. "And if the ruling prioritizes child protection, that just means the residue of my emotions won."

In 2022, Joo filed a criminal complaint alleging that a special education teacher, identified only as A, had emotionally abused his then-9-year-old son, who has a developmental disability. He submitted as evidence a covert recording made by hiding a voice recorder in his son's clothing. The appeals court ruled the recording violated the Communications Secrets Protection Act and excluded it from evidence; Teacher A was subsequently acquitted. The case is now before the Supreme Court.

South Korea's Communications Secrets Protection Act prohibits recording private conversations without consent, creating a direct legal conflict with covert evidence gathered by parents to document alleged abuse of disabled children.

the natural human condition; used to excuse emotionally understandable reactions that reason might otherwise reject