"Trust Only Mom"... Biological Mother Sentenced for 10 Years of Son Abuse and Psychological Control

Allowed to Go Out Only Once Every Two Months and Homeschooled
Chuncheon District Court Sentences to 1 Year and 6 Months in Prison

A biological mother who raised her teenage son in a closed environment?allowing him to go out only once every two months and homeschooling him instead of sending him to school?and who repeatedly abused him over a long period has been sentenced to prison.

The Chuncheon District Court Criminal Division 3 (Presiding Judge Park Seong-min) sentenced A (53), who was indicted on charges of child abuse under the Child Welfare Act, false accusation, and injury under the Special Act on the Treatment of Traffic Accidents, to 1 year and 6 months in prison and a fine of 1 million won, according to Yonhap News on the 9th. The court also ordered A to complete 40 hours of a child abuse treatment program and imposed a 5-year employment restriction at institutions related to children and adolescents.

A was brought to trial on charges including slapping her child B multiple times on April 12 last year for violating the TV watching time limit of 2 hours per week, and waking B up in the early morning the next day to slap him again and hit his head with a book. Investigations revealed that A began abusing B nearly 10 years ago, starting when B was 5 years old, for reasons such as not cleaning his room, and continuously gaslit him by saying, "Don't trust anyone, only trust mom." Furthermore, A raised B in a closed environment by allowing him to go out only once every two months, homeschooling him from the second grade of elementary school, and not sending him to middle school.

Chuncheon District Court Exterior

The prosecution detained and indicted A, and judged that there were serious reasons preventing A from exercising parental rights, filing for loss of parental rights, which is currently under legal dispute. A was released once on bail while on trial in detention but was re-incarcerated after attempting to approach B.

A denied all charges, but the court found her guilty on all counts. The court pointed out, "The defendant abused and hit the victim child using incorrect disciplinary methods," adding, "Such abuse causes not only physical pain but also severe mental humiliation." The court further stated, "There is evidence that the victim child was hit from a young age under the pretext of discipline, and due to improper parenting methods and abuse, the victim received psychiatric treatment and wishes to live separately without forgiving the defendant." Regarding sentencing, the court explained, "The defendant repeatedly attempted to approach the victim child, claiming to be a caregiver without showing remorse. However, some acts were considered to have the nature of discipline, which was taken into account."

Meanwhile, A is also under investigation by the prosecution for obstruction of official duties and false accusation. In May last year, Shin Gyeong-ho, Superintendent of Education of Gangwon Province, reported A to the police for seriously interfering with a teacher’s educational activities. This is the first time a provincial superintendent of education has criminally charged a parent for interfering with educational activities.