By Kelsey Durham
Two northeast Queens women were charged this week with abusing exchange students at a tutoring academy in Little Neck, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.
The DA said Sun Kyung Park, 33, of Oakland Gardens, and Min Kyung Chea, of Little Neck, were arrested this week after an investigation revealed that the two women had allegedly abused four Korean students sent to New York by their families for an education at Crown Tutoring Academy in Little Neck, owned by Chea’s husband. The women are accused of withholding food and bathroom privileges from the students, who range from 9 to 11 years old, as well as forcing them to perform tasks such as holding books above their heads for long periods of time, the DA said.
Park is also accused of allegedly repeatedly striking a student with a spiral notebook, causing scratches to his shoulder and back, according to the DA.
Brown said the alleged abuse took place between January and July of this year.
Park is facing charges of second-degree assault and endangering the welfare of a child and faces up to seven years in prison, if convicted, the DA said. Chea has been charged with third-degree attempted assault and endangering the welfare of a child and could spend up to a year in jail, according to the DA’s office.
Reach reporter Kelsey Durham at 718-260-4573 or by e-mail at kdurham@cnglocal.com.
