"Disappeared Transparently" Younger Sisters of 'Changnyeong Abuse' Girl Witnessed Parental Abuse

Stepfather and Biological Mother Habitually Abusing Daughter Receive Increased Sentence in Second Trial
Court: "Allowed Younger Siblings to Witness Abuse Unchanged"

The biological mother who brutally abused her daughter during the Changnyeong child abuse case / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Ju-hyung] "Dad and mom hit me, so I became transparent."

It has been revealed that the younger siblings of A (10), the victim child who escaped from a four-story house covered in bruises in the 'Gyeongnam Changnyeong Child Abuse Case,' witnessed all the abuse scenes at the time, causing shock. The stepfather and biological mother accused of brutally abusing A received harsher sentences in the appellate court than in the first trial.

The Criminal Division 1 of the Changwon Branch of the Busan High Court (Presiding Judges Min Jeong-seok, Ban Byeong-dong, and Lee Su-yeon) announced on the 30th of last month that it overturned the original sentences of six years and three years imprisonment for stepfather B (37) and biological mother C (30), respectively, who were indicted for violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes, and sentenced them to seven and four years imprisonment, respectively. They were also ordered to be banned from working in child and youth-related facilities for five years and to complete 40 hours of child abuse programs.

The court stated, "If the victim child had not escaped, continuous abuse could have led to more severe consequences, and younger children witnessed the abuse acts as they were. It is doubtful whether the defendants have a remorseful and apologetic heart, and considering the difficulty in predicting compensation for damages, the original sentence is deemed too light."

During the trial, it was revealed that A's younger siblings had witnessed the abuse at the time. Earlier, during a visit investigation by child protection agencies, A's siblings reportedly testified that when A was abused, they felt as if "(A) was becoming transparent and disappearing."

Changnyeong Child Abuse Victim Girl / Photo by Channel A

The trial also revealed detailed accounts of the various brutal abuses A suffered from the stepfather and biological mother. The parents habitually did not feed A on time and were confirmed to have chained her neck with a metal chain and tied her to a bathroom faucet.

They inflicted burns by dropping hot silicone using a glue gun on her feet, back, and abdomen, and locked her in a bathtub filled with water, preventing her from breathing.

This case came to light when a citizen found A (then 9) wandering in pajamas on a road in Changnyeong around 6:20 p.m. on May 29 last year and reported it to the police. At that time, A had black bruises on one eye and all over her body, showing signs of injury.

In the police investigation, A testified, "The stepfather burned my fingers with a frying pan and assaulted me with a metal rod and a laundry drying rack." Unable to endure the cruel abuse from her parents, A escaped by climbing the rooftop of her four-story apartment home.

The Changnyeong Police Station booked B and C without detention on June 8 of the same year on charges of habitual child abuse against A, and the two were later prosecuted.

During the appellate trial, B and C submitted over 150 letters of apology.

Meanwhile, A was transferred to a nearby hospital in May last year, received treatment, recovered health in about two weeks, and was discharged. It is reported that A is currently living in a foster home.