[Summary] Mother of Elementary School Brothers in 'Ramen Fire' Incident Neglected Children for 2 Years

Three Resident Reports Received from 2018 to May This Year
School Emergency Care Classroom Not Applied For... Siblings Handle Meals Themselves
Sent to Prosecutors Last Month on Charges of Violating Child Welfare Act
Prime Minister Jeong: "Will Expedite Measures for Children in Care Blind Spots"

According to the Michuhol-gu Fire Station in Incheon, on the 14th, elementary school brothers caused a fire while cooking ramen in a villa in Michuhol-gu. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] It has been confirmed that the mother of elementary school brothers who suffered serious injuries in a fire caused while boiling ramen had been neglecting the children continuously since 2018.

According to Incheon City and the office of Assemblyman Heo Jongsik of the Democratic Party of Korea on the 17th, there were three reports from residents between 2018 and May of this year that the mother, A (30), neglected her sons B (10) and C (8) without taking care of them.

The Incheon Child Protection Agency held consultations with A regarding these issues and advised her to improve the household environment, such as cleaning the house.

However, the situation reportedly did not improve. Eventually, on May 12, the agency requested a police investigation into A on charges of neglect and child abuse and filed a child protection order with the Incheon Family Court. The request stated that A showed symptoms of depression and anxiety and that there was concern about neglect due to economic difficulties, asking for A and the brothers B to be separated.

However, the court dismissed the protection order request on the 27th of last month. The court ruled that psychological counseling was preferable to separating the children and their mother and ordered a counseling referral protection measure. The court order containing this decision arrived at the agency on the 4th.

Accordingly, A was to receive professional counseling once a week for six months, and the brothers B were scheduled to receive counseling for 12 months. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic making face-to-face contact difficult, the counseling sessions reportedly did not take place.

The exterior wall of a villa in Michuhol-gu, Incheon, where a fire broke out while elementary school siblings were cooking ramen, was blackened on the morning of the 17th. / Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, according to the Michuhol Fire Station in Incheon, the brothers B were trying to boil ramen at their second-floor apartment in a four-story villa in Michuhol-gu, Incheon, at around 11:10 a.m. on the 14th when the fire broke out.

As a result of the accident, B suffered burns over 40% of his body. C sustained burns over 5% but was in critical condition due to injuries to internal organs. The brothers were transferred to a hospital in Seoul for treatment.

At the time of the fire, the brothers were unable to escape the house and called 119. B only said the name of the villa and repeatedly shouted, "Help me." The fire department tracked the location via mobile phone and dispatched firefighters to extinguish the fire. The fire burned the entire 10-pyeong (33㎡) interior of the second-floor apartment and was extinguished at around 11:29 a.m. that day.

The brothers come from a family receiving basic living subsidies and usually relied on school meals for food. However, due to the resurgence of COVID-19 and the shift to remote learning, they tried to prepare meals themselves and suffered the accident. Although the school operated an emergency care classroom for children from vulnerable families, A did not apply to use the care classroom.

On the 16th, the Michuhol Police Station in Incheon announced that based on the investigation, A was suspected of neglecting and abusing the brothers B and was booked without detention on charges of violating the Child Welfare Act and sent to the prosecution last month with a recommendation for indictment.

Meanwhile, the government announced plans to prepare measures to support children in blind spots of care due to COVID-19.

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun wrote on his Facebook on the same day, "It is truly heartbreaking that elementary school brothers in Incheon are unconscious after a fire broke out while they were boiling ramen." He added, "It is even more painful because this happened while they were trying to prepare meals themselves during remote learning due to the spread of COVID-19."

He continued, "The government will expedite the preparation of measures to prevent recurrence," and emphasized, "We will thoroughly review to ensure that practical measures are prepared for children in blind spots of care due to COVID-19."