Neglecting Ill Father and Abandoning His Body: Man in His 30s Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison

"The Nature of the Crime Is Extremely Serious Given Its Depravity"

A man in his 30s has been sentenced to prison after neglecting his father, who had difficulty moving, leading to his death, and abandoning the body for nearly a year.

According to Yonhap News on January 9, the Incheon District Court's Criminal Division 13, presided over by Chief Judge Kim Gipung, sentenced Mr. A, a man in his 30s who was arrested and indicted on charges including abandonment resulting in the death of a direct ascendant and abandonment of a corpse, to five years in prison at the sentencing hearing held that day.

The court stated, "The defendant had a duty to support and care for his father, who was unable to perform daily activities, but neglected him for a long period, resulting in his father's death. He also abandoned his father's body and illegally received basic living subsidies." The court added, "Given the circumstances of the crime and its depravity, the nature of the offense is extremely serious, and the degree of abandonment is severe, making the defendant highly blameworthy."

However, the court explained the sentencing by noting, "The defendant has confessed to the crime, expressed remorse in court, and has no prior criminal record."

Mr. A was arrested and indicted on charges of neglecting his father, Mr. B, who was in his 60s and had difficulty moving, at their home in Gyeyang-gu, Incheon, around October 2024, leading to his death. Mr. B, who suffered from pulmonary embolism and schizophrenia, was left alone at home after his wife was hospitalized and died about a month later, around November 2024. Mr. B was unable to communicate and could not control his bowel or bladder functions.

At the time, Mr. A was living with his girlfriend and neither visited his father nor took him to the hospital. After his father's death, he left the body in a room at home. Mr. A concealed his father's death and fraudulently received approximately 5.9 million won in government housing and living subsidies. The crime came to light only after Mr. B's body was discovered about ten months later, in September of last year.