Investigators sought an arrest warrant for another day care teacher accused of child abuse, police said Thursday, amid a growing public uproar over a series of such cases.

The 25-year-old day care worker in Incheon was suspected of having hit a dozen 4-year-old children habitually and verbally abused them for not following the curriculum.

This is the second arrest warrant sought for a day care employee in the city this year. A 33-year-old teacher was arrested last week for striking a 4-year-old boy for not finishing a meal. As public outrage escalated over the case, the police have launched an intensive anti-child-abuse campaign.

While the day care worker admitted that she had hit the children since October last year, she claimed that her actions were aimed at improving their learning, the Incheon police said. Investigators have uncovered more than 60 cases of child abuse from surveillance camera footage over the past 30 days.

The city government said it would suspend or permanently shut down the day care center in question.

Meanwhile, the police are conducting a probe into two other child abuse cases at child care facilities reported earlier this month, authorities said.

By Lee Hyun-jeong (rene@heraldcorp.com)