9-Month-Old Baby Bites Father's Arm... Startled Dad Reacts with 'Punching'
"Usually Loves the Child... Considering Divorce"
Expert Advice from Doctors and Lawyers Included
A story has been shared about a husband who punched the face of his baby who was not even one year old, and the wife is considering divorce.
On the 26th, a post titled "Dad who hit baby before first birthday" was uploaded on an online community. As of 11 a.m. on the 28th, the post had gained significant attention with 22,000 views and 300 comments. The author, A, began by saying, "The baby is now 9 months old," and continued, "Last night, the baby's father put his hand into the baby's mouth to remove a piece of paper, but the baby bit him hard."
A explained the situation, saying, "When the baby bit him, my husband shouted 'Ah!' and then punched the baby's face with his other hand." He added, "The baby cried, and the area that was hit was red for over an hour. It felt like the world was collapsing, and I wanted to die." He continued, "Recently, he has shown violent behavior like throwing books, but I never thought he would resort to hitting. Usually, he is affectionate and kind, and even he seems unfamiliar with his own behavior." He also asked for opinions, saying, "I wonder if it is right to just consider this a mistake and move on. I am deeply considering whether I should separate before the baby experiences worse harm."
After reading the post, a netizen B, who identified themselves as a doctor, advised, "This is not acceptable. If it is not too late, it would be good to take pictures of the baby's face and keep a detailed diary of the situation." Another netizen C, who identified as a lawyer, said, "Take the baby to the hospital and get a medical certificate. Even if it looks fine to the naked eye, it is necessary to have a record of the hospital visit."
Other netizens responded negatively, saying things like, "I am married too, but this is definitely grounds for divorce," "No matter how angry you are, you should never hit a child like that," "Is this even possible? Hitting your own child?" "If an adult male hit the child, the child wouldn't be okay. Take them to the hospital," and "How painful it must be to be bitten by a child, but this kind of reaction is unacceptable."
Meanwhile, as cases of child abuse have recently increased, interest in the severity of punishments has also risen. Article 71, Paragraph 1 of the Child Welfare Act states that anyone who causes physical harm to a child’s body or damages the child’s health and development through physical abuse, or causes harm to the child’s mental health and development through emotional abuse, or abandons a child under their protection or neglects basic care including food, shelter, nurturing, treatment, and education, can be punished by imprisonment for up to five years or a fine of up to 50 million won.
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