South Korean mother sentenced to 12 years for infant son's death

A South Korean court sentenced a woman in her 30s to 12 years in prison on October 15 for child abuse resulting in the death of her eight-month-old son. The Ansan branch of Suwon District Court found her guilty of fatal child abuse rather than intentional killing, according to Yonhap and other outlets. It also ordered her to complete 80 hours of child-abuse treatment programming. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]

The woman, identified only as A, struck the child's head several times with a television remote control at their home in Siheung on April 10, the reports said. The child died four days later. The court found that her actions caused his death and said a guardian's failure to protect and care for a child warranted a strict punishment. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]

Yonhap reported that the mother took the child to a nearby pediatric clinic after the assault but returned home despite a recommendation to seek treatment at a larger hospital. She later did not follow a recommendation for admission at a general hospital in Bucheon. The child's condition worsened, and he was taken back to that hospital's emergency department three days after the assault before dying the following day. [ 1 ]

The court said the mother's hospital visits meant it could not conclude that delays in seeking further care were deliberately intended to bring about the child's death. Nevertheless, it cited the severity of the assault and the mother's responsibilities as a caregiver when explaining the sentence. Newsis and Seoul Economic Daily also reported a 10-year ban on employment at child-related institutions. [ 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]

Prosecutors had sought life imprisonment, arguing that the risk of death from striking an infant's head was foreseeable. Yonhap reported that the mother asked for leniency in her final statement. Hankook Ilbo described the sentence as a first-instance judgment. [ 1 , 5 ]