Left a letter and departed after living homeless in the park
A Chinese man who entered Jeju and lived homeless in a park was prosecuted for abandoning his 9-year-old son.
According to Jeju Police Agency on the 8th, the Jeju District Prosecutors' Office has arrested and indicted a man in his 30s, identified as A, a Chinese national, on charges of violating the Child Welfare Act (child abandonment and neglect).
A is accused of leaving his sleeping son B, along with a suitcase and a letter, in a park in Seogwipo City, Jeju, on the morning of the 25th of last month, and then disappearing.
After waking up, B cried out for his father, and a Seogwipo City official discovered him and reported to the police. The police analyzed neighborhood CCTV footage and on the following day, the 26th of last month, they urgently arrested A at an undisclosed location in Seogwipo City.
Immediately after arresting A, the police attempted to impose a travel ban on him, but the Consulate General of China in Jeju refused, citing that A still had a valid legal stay period, so the investigation proceeded with detention.
"Due to physical reasons and financial hardship, unable to raise child... Entered Jeju with the intention of leaving son to grow up in a better environment"
A man in his 30s from China, Mr. A, left his son in a park in Jeju Island and left a letter beside him. [Photo by Jeju Police Agency]
According to the police investigation, A had previously entered Jeju without a visa for tourism purposes with his son on the 14th of last month and stayed in a hotel for 3 nights and 4 days. When his funds ran out, he lived homeless for about 8 days starting from the 17th of the same month.
On the day of the crime, he left his son in the park along with a letter and disappeared.
In the letter, A, who referred to himself as a "failed father," wrote in English, "Due to my physical reasons and financial hardship, I am not in a position to raise my child. It is my fault to have brought a child into this difficult life. I do not want the child to live a homeless life with me. I hope he will be adopted by a Korean institution or a private family and grow up receiving a good education."
He also expressed gratitude, saying, "I have been in Korea for more than 10 days. Although it was a short period, I felt kindness and respect from Koreans who gave my child candy and food." At the end of the letter, he wrote "Gamsahamnida" (Thank you) in Korean.
During the police investigation, A admitted the charges, stating that he came to Jeju with the intention of leaving his son so that he could grow up in a better environment.
A stated, "After divorcing my wife in a financially difficult situation, I was raising my son without her, but I was not in a condition to raise him well. I abandoned my child hoping he would grow up in a better environment at a Korean child protection facility than in China."
B stayed at a child protection facility in Jeju and was handed over to relatives in China, departing on the 7th.
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