"Raised in a Good Environment" Chinese Parent Who Abandoned 9-Year-Old Son in Jeju Sentenced to 1 Year in Prison

Letter says "Hope you grow up well with good education after being adopted to Korea"
Prosecutors requested 2-year probation but court sentenced actual imprisonment
Son handed over to Chinese relatives, departing in September

A Chinese man who entered Jeju Island, abandoned his 9-year-old son in a park, and disappeared after leaving a letter saying "I hope my child receives a good education and grows up in Korea" was sentenced to prison.

According to the legal community on the 15th, the Jeju District Court Criminal Division 2 (Chief Judge Bae Gumin) sentenced A, a man in his 30s from China who was indicted in custody for violating the Child Welfare Act (child abandonment and neglect), to one year in prison.

The image of Mr. A's son left alone in a Jeju park [Photo by Yonhap News Agency (provided by Jeju Police Agency)]

On the morning of August 25 at 6:13 a.m., A left his sleeping son B (9) alone in a park in Seogwipo City, Jeju, and disappeared. At that time, A left a letter next to B stating, "Due to my physical reasons and financial difficulties, I am not in a position to raise the child. I hope he is adopted by a Korean institution or a private family and receives a good education."

After waking up, B was reported to have cried while looking for his father when he could not find A. A Seogwipo City official discovered this and reported it to the police. The police analyzed nearby closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage and arrested A in Seogwipo City the next day.

According to the police investigation, A entered Jeju through Jeju International Airport without a visa on the 14th of the same month with his son. The visa-free entry system allows foreign visitors, except those from certain countries such as state sponsors of terrorism, to stay in Jeju for 30 days without a visa. The two stayed at a lodging facility for the first few days, but when funds ran out, they were found to have lived as homeless from the 17th for about eight days. On the day of the incident, A left B in the park where they had been sleeping, along with a suitcase and the letter.

During the trial, A admitted to the charges but denied intent, stating that he came to Jeju with the purpose of leaving his son behind. A’s lawyer claimed, "The defendant, after losing income due to a herniated disc diagnosis, tried to leave the child at a child protection facility in China but was rejected because the child has parents. He intended to return to China with the child if Korean facilities also refused to take him."

The prosecution requested a one-year prison sentence with a two-year probation for A, but the court handed down a prison sentence. The court explained the reason for the sentence, saying, "Considering the son's testimony, photos from the scene, the letter, and the fact that the place where the son was left is in the Republic of Korea, not the defendant's country, all the facts of the crime are recognized."

During the investigation, B stayed at a child protection facility in Jeju and was handed over to relatives in China, departing on September 7.

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