[Seocho-dong Legal Talk] The Couple Who Sprinkled Body Hair in Food to Stage a Scene, Also on Trial for Child Injury and Assault

CCTV footage showing a customer who filed a complaint claiming foreign substances were found in the food after putting their own body hair in it / Photo by SBS 'Morning Wide' broadcast screen capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] On August 5 last year, at a galbitjip (Korean BBQ rib restaurant) in Nam-gu, Pohang, a couple, Mr. A (40, male) and Mrs. B (40, female), protested after discovering a foreign substance in their meal worth 67,000 won and left the restaurant without paying. In reality, they had pre-prepared and sprinkled eggshells and body hair. The restaurant owner lamented, "It's a difficult time due to the COVID-19 situation, so this is very unfortunate and upsetting."

According to the legal community on the 30th, it has been confirmed that those who became publicly known as 'troublesome customers' through SBS's 'Morning Wide' and news broadcasts last year are currently on trial for child abuse charges.

The couple, who are in a common-law marriage, have been raising the child B brought since 2018. Their daughter (then 12 years old) and son (then 4 years old) called Mr. A "Dad." However, according to the prosecution, the couple repeatedly beat the son at their residence and at a resort in Gangwon-do, causing injuries including skull fractures and brain hemorrhages. The son showed abnormal symptoms such as slurred speech and facial expressions but was unable to receive hospital treatment, eventually being diagnosed with a 'persistent vegetative state.'

They were prosecuted not only for the 'Pohang galbitjip' fraud but also for violations of the Child Abuse Punishment Act (child abuse causing serious injury). Moreover, Mr. A is accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting the daughter by coercion in 2019 when Mrs. B was away from home to treat their son, telling the daughter, "If you behave well, I will buy you food and let you go out."

The first trial separated the two cases and sentenced Mrs. B to three years in prison, along with an order to complete 80 hours of a child abuse treatment program. The first trial court stated, "If even minor measures had been taken, the severe injuries would not have occurred as they did. Fearing her husband's arrest, she lived on the run for about two years and three months and even committed the fraud at the Pohang galbitjip during that time." Mrs. B appealed, claiming the sentence was too harsh.

On the 21st, the appellate court, Seoul High Court Criminal Division 6-1 (Presiding Judge Won Jongchan), upheld Mrs. B's sentence. The appellate court stated, "She was economically and psychologically dependent on her coercive husband to a considerable degree and was in a mental state that made it difficult to take measures regarding the victim (son). She has reached a settlement with the victims of the fraud case," but also criticized, "As the biological mother, she should have actively and proactively cared for the young victim, but she took no action such as taking him to the hospital despite obvious abnormal signs like injuries and difficulty walking, resulting in the current vegetative state. Her guilt is very serious."

Mrs. B expressed her intention to appeal the appellate court's ruling and seek a Supreme Court decision. The first trial sentencing date for Mr. A has not yet been set.

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