A baseball club head coach in Incheon who hit middle school players with a bat has admitted to the allegations to police.
The Incheon Seobu Police Station said on the 31st it booked without detention a baseball club head coach in his 50s, identified only as A, on suspicion of child abuse under the Child Welfare Act and plans to refer the case to prosecutors.
A is accused of injuring players by repeatedly hitting their thighs and buttocks with a baseball bat during training on Jan. 17 at a baseball field in Cheongna-dong, Seo District, Incheon.
The victims are three middle school baseball team members, and it was confirmed they suffered injuries such as bruising and swelling on the areas that were struck.
The victims' side reportedly claimed that during training, A said things like "They did well because they were hit" and "If you do poorly, I will hit you."
In a police interview, A said, "It was an action intended to increase the members' concentration during training."
Police plan to close the case soon, determining that A's criminal acts are substantiated after continuing the investigation since receiving the complaint last month.
A police official said, "Based on evidentiary photos and victim statements submitted by the complainant, we applied the charge of child abuse," adding, "We will refer A to prosecutors without detention within this week."