Heo Jong-sik: "Ramen Fire Tragedy Must Become a Turning Point to End Child Abuse" [Interview]

"Deceased Child, Only Feelings of Regret for Not Protecting"
"Michuhol-gu Child, Case Management Was Done but There Were Gaps"
"Bill Proposed for Immediate Family Separation of Abused Children, Forced Care Also Needed"

Heo Jong-sik, Member of the Democratic Party of Korea / Photo by Heo Jong-sik's Office

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Heo Jongsik, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea (Incheon Dong-gu Michuhol-gu Gap), emphasized on the 22nd that "it is important for our society to unite in addressing the issue of child abuse" to prevent tragedies like the so-called 'ramyeon fire' in Incheon.

In an interview with Asia Economy on the same day, Representative Heo said, "The Michuhol-gu accident should become a turning point signaling the end of child abuse."

Earlier, on the 14th of last month, an accident occurred in a villa in Michuhol-gu, Incheon, where elementary school brothers suffered severe burns after a fire broke out while they were cooking ramyeon to have a meal. At that time, the brothers' mother was out.

In this fire, the older brother A (10) suffered third-degree burns on 40% of his body, while the younger brother B (8) had first-degree burns but inhaled toxic fumes, making it difficult for him to breathe on his own.

Both were transferred to a specialized burn hospital in Seoul for treatment. However, B's condition worsened from the 20th and he ultimately passed away on the following day (21st).

Regarding this, Representative Heo explained the situation, saying, "After the welcome news that the younger brother B regained consciousness, the older child said he wanted to go to school and was attending online classes via smartphone. I heard that the younger child also regained consciousness and could weakly say 'mom,' but then suddenly his condition deteriorated."

He added, "We hoped with all our hearts to overcome this crisis, but in the end, we could not save him. It is heartbreaking and I feel only sorry for not being able to protect him."

According to the Incheon Michuhol-gu Fire Station, on the 14th of last month, an elementary school-aged brother and sister caused a fire while cooking ramen in a villa in Michuhol-gu. / Photo by Yonhap News

Representative Heo particularly pointed out that this accident occurred while the child abuse case management manual was in operation.

He said, "(The brothers) had been under case management for over two years since May 2018, when the homeroom teacher recommended intervention by 'Dream Start' (a support program for vulnerable children), which involved 18 home visits, 4 visits to institutions, 2 field experiences, 23 phone consultations, and participation in 26 programs," adding, "Nevertheless, this incident happened. Although there is a manual regarding child abuse, there were still loopholes."

He continued, "Previously, the court had requested separation of the family, but the accident occurred while a ruling was in place for regular counseling. Also, even if the abusive parents and children are separated, there are not many places for them to go. In some local governments, child abuse dedicated officials are assigned from administrative positions rather than social welfare positions, which causes friction," he criticized.

Representative Heo said, "I have proposed a bill to allow immediate separation, and support and enforcement for care applications are also necessary. Furthermore, until now, child abuse support has focused only on the children after incidents occur, but support for the parents identified as perpetrators should also be backed."

Water cleaning work is underway on the morning of the 17th of last month at a villa in Michuhol-gu, Incheon City, where a fire occurred. / Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, according to Incheon City and Representative Heo Jongsik's office, the brothers' mother, Ms. C, had three reports from residents about neglecting and abandoning the children from 2018 until May of this year.

The Incheon Child Protection Agency conducted counseling with Ms. C regarding these issues and advised her to improve the home environment, including cleaning. However, it was reported that the situation did not improve.

Eventually, on May 12th, the agency requested a police investigation into Ms. C for neglect and child abuse charges and filed a child protection order with the Incheon Family Court. The request stated that Ms. C showed symptoms of depression and anxiety and that there was concern about neglect due to economic circumstances, asking for the brothers to be separated from Ms. C.

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 from their mother and ordered counseling and protective custody.

Accordingly, Ms. C was to receive counseling from a specialized agency once a week for six months, and the brothers A were scheduled to receive counseling for 12 months.

However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, face-to-face contact became difficult, and the counseling sessions reportedly did not take place.