A Father in His 30s Sentenced to 10 Months in Prison for Abusing and Cursing a Baby with "Why Are You Crying?"

Image unrelated to specific expressions in this article. [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] A man in his 30s was sentenced to prison for verbally abusing and abusing his infant child simply because the baby was crying.

On the 28th, according to the legal community, the Seoul Western District Court Criminal Division 6 (Presiding Judge Kim Seongdae) sentenced A (39), who was indicted for violating the Child Welfare Act (child abuse), to 10 months in prison. He was also ordered to complete 80 hours of a child abuse treatment program.

A is accused of verbally abusing and assaulting his child, who was one month old at the time, in December 2018.

At that time, while playing games at home, when the child cried, A reportedly said, "Why are you crying?" and acted as if he was going to lift the child and throw him on the floor.

In January of the following year, while playing games again, A cursed because the child was crying, and when his wife tried to stop him by saying, "Why are you angry at the child?" he acted as if he was going to throw the child out the window.

Afterward, A's abusive behavior continued. In August 2019 and January of last year, he continued emotional abuse that harmed the child's mental health and development, such as slapping the child's cheek.

In this trial, A argued that his wife's related testimony during their divorce proceedings was not neutral or objective and denied the abuse itself.

However, the court did not accept A's claim, stating that the wife's testimony was specific and without contradictions.

The court pointed out, "The nature of this crime is very bad," and "It is judged that the emotional damage suffered by the victim child is considerable."

It added, "The defendant did not show a serious reflection on his actions and is judged to have a severe attitude of disregarding the law and the fundamentals of the family system," explaining the reasons for sentencing.

A is currently appealing the ruling.