During the festive season meant for joy... Child abuse cases continue to occur everywhere

Child Abuse Occurs Everywhere Before and After Holidays... Heartless Parents

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] As child abuse cases continued to occur in various places before and after the Lunar New Year holiday, the festive season, which should have been joyful, was marred by sad news.

On the day of the Lunar New Year, the 12th, parents who beat their two-week-old son to death were arrested. The Gunsan Branch of Jeonju District Court held a pre-arrest hearing (warrant review) for the parents A (24, male) and B (22, female), who are accused of child abuse resulting in death, and issued arrest warrants for them.

A and others are accused of beating their two-week-old son to death on the night of the 9th at their officetel in Iksan, Jeollabuk-do, where they lived.

After the abuse, when the child did not regain consciousness, they called 119 that same night. The child was taken to the hospital but ultimately died. The police found signs of child abuse, such as bruises on the child's face, and took the parents into custody. During the police investigation, A and others initially denied the crime, claiming "the child was injured after falling off the bed," but eventually admitted to the charges, saying, "The child cried frequently and vomited formula, so we hit him."

On the day before the Lunar New Year holiday, the 10th, the body of a three-year-old girl was found in a villa in Gumi, Gyeongsangbuk-do. The girl's maternal grandfather, unable to contact his daughter C (in her 20s), went to her house and found his deceased granddaughter, then reported it to the police. The girl, who had been left unattended for several months after her death, was found in a mummified state. The police arrested C and on the 12th detained her on suspicion of murder.

C reportedly stated, "I disliked my daughter because she was the child of her biological father, from whom I had long been separated," and "I left her alone in the villa because it was difficult to raise her alone."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the same day, in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, an aunt and uncle were also arrested for abusing and causing the death of their ten-year-old niece. The Suwon District Court held a pre-arrest hearing (warrant review) for the couple D (in their 40s) and E (in their 40s) and issued arrest warrants.

The couple D is accused of brutally beating their temporarily cared-for niece F on the morning of the 8th with a plastic fly swatter and broom because she did not obey, and abusing her by submerging her head in a bathtub filled with water, causing her death. After the abuse, when F stopped breathing, they called 119 at 12:35 p.m. that day, reporting, "The child is submerged in the bathtub and not breathing." Paramedics transported F, who was in cardiac arrest, to the hospital and performed CPR, but she ultimately died.

Bruises and other marks were found all over F's body. Hospital staff and paramedics suspected child abuse and reported it, leading to the couple's urgent arrest on charges of violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes. During the police investigation, the couple confessed to all abuse and assault. It was also found that they took turns submerging F's head in the bathtub.

Meanwhile, the trial proceedings for the 16-month-old adopted child abuse death case in Yangcheon, Seoul (known as the "Jung-in case") will resume after the Lunar New Year holiday. The Criminal Division 13 of Seoul Southern District Court (Chief Judge Shin Hyuk-jae) will hold the second trial session on the 17th at 10 a.m. for the adoptive mother Jang, who is charged with violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes (child abuse resulting in death) and other charges.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.