A man has admitted assaulting two young children by forcing them to hold a “plank” position for long periods.
Seong Jin Yim, 53, abused the youngsters for more than three years and claimed the agonising exercise would be “beneficial” for them.
Dundee Sheriff Court was told the children would be forced to hold the position – lying completely straight – for more than an hour at a time.
The court heard if Yim felt they were not doing it properly he would pull out a back scratcher and hit them with it.
The pre-teen children would be forced to get into the position if Yim felt they had been disrespectful.
Yim, from Crail, admitted assault on various occasions between January 1 2019 and April 14 2022 at an address in the Fife village.
‘I didn’t know it would hurt them’
Fiscal depute Alan Bell told the court one of the youngsters raised the alarm at school.
“Due to the concerns raised, police were contacted.
“Police attended the accused’s home address and he was traced and arrested.”
Yim stated: “I wasn’t meaning to hurt them. It was an exercise. It was what I believed in.”
He added: “My intention wasn’t to hurt them. It was beneficial. I didn’t know it would hurt them.”
Sheriff Gregor Murray deferred sentence for reports and said: “You have pled guilty to a very serious charge.”
Planking craze
Planking is deemed a good exercise to build core strength – if done properly.
It is suggested in most online guides to hold the prone, rigid position for no more than a minute at a time – much less for a child.
Planking became an online craze around a decade ago when people would find the strangest places they could participate.
There was a backlash as people sought ever-more dangerous sites for the stunt.
The world record planking time was set in May this year when Josef Šálek from the Czech Republic held the pose for 9 hours, 38 minutes, and 47 seconds.
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