Biological Father and Stepmother Assault High School Daughter Who Secretly Stayed Out for Three Days

Court: "Beyond Discipline" 1-Year Prison Sentence with Probation

A stepmother who violently beat her high school daughter after the daughter secretly stayed out for three days, and the biological father who verbally abused her by telling her to kill herself, were both sentenced to prison with a suspended sentence by the court. Immediately after the incident, the high school girl reported the abuse to a youth counseling hotline and then to her school.

Chuncheon District Court Wonju Branch Photo by Yonhap News

On the 14th, Yonhap News reported that Judge Park Hyunjin of the Chuncheon District Court Wonju Branch Criminal Division 2, presiding alone, sentenced the biological father A (56) and stepmother B (54, female), who were indicted without detention on charges of violating the Child Welfare Act (child abuse) and special injury, to one year in prison with a two-year suspended sentence each.

A was charged with repeatedly slapping his biological daughter C (17) at his home in Wonju from 6 p.m. on December 18 last year until 1:30 a.m. the next day, and B was charged with hitting C’s under-eye area and nose bridge with the corner of a smartphone case, causing injuries requiring three weeks of medical treatment.

B told her daughter, “Because of you, what has the house become? Apologize to your father,” grabbed C’s hair, dragged her to the kitchen where A was, and pulled her nose and hair.

A said, “I will erase you from the family register. You might run away, so bite down hard,” while repeatedly slapping her. He forcibly strangled his daughter’s neck when she begged, “Please save me.” The indictment also stated that he placed a weapon on the table and said, “Kill yourself with this.”

Immediately after the abuse, C reported the incident to a youth counseling hotline and then to her school after attending classes. C’s parents were investigated by the police following a report from a teacher. During the trial, A denied ever telling her to “kill yourself with your own hands,” and stepmother B denied most of the charges, claiming she only hit C’s head twice with the smartphone case.

The court rejected these claims, citing C’s detailed testimony and photos of her face taken immediately after the report. The court found that the acts went beyond the scope of lawful discipline or education.

Judge Park stated, “Although the victim’s act of secretly staying out without parental permission was the trigger for this case, hitting her face with a mobile phone and telling her to stab herself to death with a weapon are illegal acts that exceed the bounds of proper discipline or education. Considering the denial of some charges and the lack of reconciliation or forgiveness from the victim, the sentence was determined accordingly.”