"Who Made This Mess?" Father Strikes Two Daughters with Wooden Sword... Sentenced to One Year in Prison, Suspended

Violence Disguised as Discipline
Court Considers 'First Offense and Single Parenting'

A man in his 40s received a suspended prison sentence after assaulting his children with a wooden sword because they had made a mess at home.

Wooden sword. Photo by Asia Economy DB

On May 3, Judge Shin Yoonju of the Cheongju District Court’s Criminal Division 2 announced that defendant A had been sentenced to one year in prison, suspended for two years, for violating the Child Welfare Act.
On October 26, 2021, at approximately 10:43 p.m., A struck his eldest daughter B, who was 14 years old at the time, and his second daughter C, who was 11 years old, five times each on the buttocks with a wooden sword at their home in Cheongwon-gu, Cheongju. The investigation found that A assaulted the children after they did not answer his question about who had made a mess in the house. After B admitted to being responsible for the mess, A struck her an additional 24 times.
Additionally, in May 2020, A repeatedly assaulted B with a fly swatter and a hanger because she returned home late. In March 2022, A forced B out of the house after she repeatedly apologized for not cleaning properly, revealing further evidence of emotional abuse.
The court stated, “The defendant’s actions constitute a serious crime that caused significant physical and psychological trauma to the victims. However, in determining the sentence, the court considered that the defendant has been raising his children alone since his divorce and that this was his first offense.”