The victim’s mother has also revealed that the bullies’ parents never called after the attack even after discovering their daughters were involved. She had sent them photos of her beat up daughter, but no one bothered to leave a reply. It was only after a week when this incident went viral online that just one parent contacted the victim’s family to apologize.
“I’m so angry,” she states. “No matter what they say, I will never forgive them.”
Yet, phone calls from angry people who have gotten hold of the identity of the bully’s family are rushing in like a downpour. The family's identity is floating around on the Internet and people are harassing the family nonstop with death threats.
“I believe this is the price we have to pay for [the bullies’] crimes,” the father states. “We receive over 1,000 calls a day telling us to commit suicide.” He is undoubtedly extremely regretful regarding his daughter’s actions despite popular belief.
“Even if I am refused admittance, I will get on my knees and apologize,” he states. “I want to hold her hand and cry.” Meanwhile, the Juvenile Protection Act declared that these bullies are to be put in a youth detention center for their wrongdoings, and it is claimed that the teenager mainly responsible for this attack is residing there. Her father had come up to the press and said he was extremely sorry for what had happened. He claimed that he had no idea what was happening when he had called his daughter who had missed her nightly curfew. His wife and second daughter are both mentally disabled, and therefore, the bully was not able to grow in a normal family.
However, some Korean citizens think differently. They believe that the police and the officials have a lax attitude towards what is happening, and they claim that the Juvenile Protection Act isn’t harsh enough. According to the Act, if the assailants are minors, they are not prosecuted or given probation. Because of this case, however, many believe that this only increases the number of horrid bullying incidents that happen each year; some students take this Act for granted. Currently, there are over 200,000 petitions demanding the repeal of this Act signed on the official website of the Blue House, the executive office of South Korea.
It is inevitable that the teenage attackers’ actions were so awful that adults themselves would find it hard to dream of doing such things to their peers. However, what should be the outcome of all this? Should the word of the people or the word of the law take control?
by Natalie Pak