The director of a taekwondo studio who killed a five-year-old child by placing him upside down in a rolled-up mat for almost half an hour has been sentenced to 30 years in prison.

The Uijeongbu District Court pronounced the sentence Thursday after finding the man guilty of multiple offenses, including murder and child abuse.

The court also ordered the man to complete a 40-hour child abuse treatment program and restricted him from working with children or teenagers for ten years.

The court said he should have known there was a risk of death if he left the child in that state, especially for 27 minutes, rejecting the defense that it was all in fun.

The prosecution had sought a life sentence, and the victim’s family called 30 years too lenient.