Husband and Wife Each Sentenced to One Year in Prison... Avoided Immediate Detention
Assaulted for 7 Hours Causing Full-Body Bruises and Hospitalization
A couple in their 40s, who are shamans, were sentenced to prison for physically and emotionally abusing their elementary school-aged child by beating him until his entire body was bruised for several hours, allegedly because he ignored the family hierarchy.
On the 13th, Judge Hwang Hae-cheol of the Chuncheon District Court Wonju Branch Criminal Division 3 Single Judge Court announced that A (46) and B (46, female), a married couple who were indicted without detention on charges of violating the Act on the Punishment of Violent Acts (joint injury) and the Child Welfare Act (child abuse), were each sentenced to one year in prison. They were also ordered to complete a 40-hour child abuse treatment program and were banned from employment at child-related institutions for three years. However, considering that they had been separated from the victim child, the court did not order their immediate detention despite the prison sentence.
B, a shaman in a common-law marriage with A, was tried on charges of repeatedly beating C (8), A's biological child, with a 55 cm-long stick made by rolling up 50 sheets of newspaper at home in August and September last year, because C did not obey her. The couple was also charged with emotional abuse in the indictment for making C kneel or stand facing the door for long periods as punishment on four occasions during the same period for the same reason.
Furthermore, on the afternoon of September 17 last year, they were charged with physically abusing C by beating him for seven hours with a stick made by rolling up 100 sheets of newspaper and a rubber shoehorn, causing bruises all over his body, alleging that he "did not respect hierarchy" and "lied." The couple also emotionally abused D (10), C's older brother, by forcing him to watch C being punished for seven hours.
Due to the physical abuse by the couple that lasted more than half a day, C was covered in bruises and suffered contusions and traumatic muscle ischemia, requiring hospitalization for some time. The child abuse was revealed after the school reported the bruises and wounds found on C's body.
Judge Hwang pointed out, "The couple claimed they used corporal punishment to correct their child's violent behavior, but they made no effort to seek help from professionals such as doctors or counselors." He added, "The abuse occurred shortly after the couple began raising the child together, and this cannot be justified for any reason."
The couple appealed the first trial verdict.
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