20s Father Arrested in Yangju on Child Abuse Charges

A father in his 20s has been arrested by police in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, for severely abusing his three-year-old child, leaving the boy in a life-threatening condition. The child, born in 2022, underwent brain surgery but remains in critical condition. Shortly before the incident, on the evening of the 9th, emergency services received a call reporting that the child was experiencing convulsions. While the parents claimed they heard a loud thud and found the child collapsed, hospital staff, upon observing the nature of the child's head trauma, suspected child abuse and alerted the police. Responding officers took the parents into emergency custody.

The abuse was so evident that other parents at the child's daycare had taken notice and even issued warnings to the biological parents. The mother reportedly expressed a lack of affection for the child, stating, "I just don't feel attached to this child," and allegedly excluded him when others went out to play. Police have reportedly confirmed some details of the abuse through forensic examination of the father's mobile phone.

Following a child abuse report on December 24 last year, Yangju City conducted an investigation but closed the case after deeming the risk level as 'minor.' Prosecutors subsequently issued a non-prosecution decision. The mother has been temporarily released to care for her other young child, while only the father has been taken into custody.