A Couple in Their 50s Sentenced to Prison for Abusing Adopted Son

Yangmo sentenced to 2 years in prison; Yangbu receives suspended sentence

A couple in their 50s was sentenced to imprisonment on charges of abusing their adopted 10-year-old son.

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] A couple in their 50s was sentenced to prison for abusing their adopted 10-year-old son, including forcibly feeding him food waste.

On the 5th, the Incheon District Court Criminal Division 2 (Judge Kwak Kyung-pyeong) announced that A (50, female), who was indicted on charges of child abuse under the Child Welfare Act and special injury, was sentenced to two years in prison. She was also ordered to complete a 40-hour child abuse treatment program.

B (52), A’s husband, who was jointly indicted on charges of child abuse under the Child Welfare Act, was sentenced to eight months in prison with a two-year probation and ordered to attend a 40-hour child abuse recidivism prevention lecture.

Earlier, A was arrested and indicted on charges of abusing or injuring their adopted son C (who was 10 years old in 2017) over four years from 2017 to last year at an apartment in Michuhol-gu, Incheon.

Investigations revealed that she forcibly fed C food waste from the sink strainer and burned his arm with a hair styling tool called a hot iron. A also assaulted C with a blunt object for reasons such as not cleaning the house properly or coming home late after school, and threatened him with a weapon.

B also forced C to perform a “one-san bombing”?pressing his head to the floor with his hands behind his back?at home in August last year for using a laptop. He was also found to have hit C’s buttocks 20 times with a blunt object for not properly memorizing a Bible-related book.

The couple registered their marriage in 1994 and adopted C, who was one year old at the time, in 2008.

The court stated, “The degree of abuse inflicted on the adopted child by the defendants is not light. Especially in A’s case, the abuse is very severe, including causing injury with dangerous objects and forcibly feeding food waste.”

It added, “It appears that the victim child has suffered mental scars that are difficult to heal, so strict punishment is necessary,” but also noted, “The defendants admitted their wrongdoing and have no prior criminal records, which were considered in sentencing.”