"Haedeun Case": Biological Mother Sentenced to Life Imprisonment, Father Gets 4 Years and 6 Months

Charged With Habitual Abuse and Murder of Four-Month-Old Son

Court: "An Anti-Social Crime Using the Child as an Outlet for Anger"

The district court has sentenced the biological mother in the "Haedeun Case," in which a four-month-old son was habitually abused and ultimately killed, to life imprisonment in the first trial. The biological father, who failed to stop his wife's abuse, was also sentenced to prison.

On April 23, the Criminal Division 1 of the Suncheon Branch of Gwangju District Court (Presiding Judge Kim Yong-kyu) sentenced the mother, Ms. A, who is in her 30s and was indicted and detained on charges of child abuse resulting in death under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes, to life imprisonment. The father, Mr. B, who was indicted on charges including violation of the Child Welfare Act (child abuse by neglect), was sentenced to four years and six months in prison.

On the afternoon of the 23rd, a rally demanding severe punishment for the biological parents who caused the death of the child known as the "Haedeun Case," who passed away 133 days after birth due to child abuse, was held in front of the Suncheon branch of the Gwangju District Court ahead of the first trial verdict. Photo by Min Hyunki

The court also ordered both to complete 40 hours of a child abuse treatment program and barred them from working at child-related institutions for 10 years.

Ms. A was tried for indiscriminately assaulting her four-month-old son, Haedeun, at their home in Yeosu, Jeollanam-do, on October 22 last year and leaving him unattended in a baby bathtub with the water running, resulting in his death from multiple fractures and bleeding. Investigation revealed that, in addition to the day he died, Ms. A had habitually abused her son 19 times over about two months starting from late August last year.

The father, Mr. B, was indicted and detained for knowingly allowing his wife's cruel abuse to continue, and for attempting to coerce a witness into changing testimony after the case came to light.

The court stated, "Ms. A, the biological mother, inflicted extremely cruel abuse on a four-month-old infant who was in absolute need of protection and unable to defend himself. By using the baby as an outlet for her anger, she committed an anti-social crime that deprived the child of human dignity, value, and even the right to life."

The court added, "It is impossible to fathom the fear and pain the victim must have felt, and given the cruelty of the crime, there is a need to permanently isolate the defendant from society and hold her strictly accountable." Regarding Mr. B, the court said, "His guilt in neglecting the abuse is grave, and considering his attempt to interfere with the investigation, a prison sentence is inevitable."

Meanwhile, in front of the Suncheon Branch where the sentencing took place, parents from across the country gathered for a rally demanding severe punishment. When news of the life sentence was delivered, citizens responded with tears, supporting the court's decision.

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