A mother in her 30s has been booked by police on child abuse charges after posting photos on social media that appeared to show her feeding rice cake soup to her 3-month-old infant.
The Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency's Women and Juvenile Crime Investigation Unit announced on the 26th that it will investigate the woman, identified only as "A," on charges of child abuse under the Child Welfare Act. The investigation was launched after a netizen reported photos on A's social media account showing a baby with facial injuries and what appeared to be the infant being fed tteokguk, a traditional Korean rice cake soup.
A had posted photos of her son "B," who was less than 3 months old, along with profanity-laced comments including "Why do you keep scratching your precious face?" Another photo showed a tteokguk meal setting with a small bowl and infant-sized utensils, raising suspicions that she had fed the soup to the baby.
Concerned netizens flooded the comments section, warning that "babies shouldn't even be given broth" and "should only be fed formula."
According to the Korean Pediatric Society, newborns should consume only breast milk or formula until 6 months of age, with solid foods introduced thereafter. Solid foods are specifically prohibited before 4 months due to immature digestive enzymes, incomplete swallowing reflexes, risk of airway obstruction, and potential allergic reactions.
Police visited A's residence after receiving the abuse report and determined that an investigation was warranted. The Incheon Family Court subsequently issued an emergency protective order prohibiting A from approaching within 100 meters of her son until April 20.
A posted the court order on her social media, writing: "Is this legal document real? Why does the text look so weak?" She added: "Why do I keep developing resentment toward public authority?"
"We first took measures to separate A from the child and will proceed with the investigation after booking," a police official said. "We plan to comprehensively investigate whether there was physical abuse or neglect."
A similar case occurred last November when a woman in her 20s was reported for posting promotional videos on social media showing her feeding adult dietary supplements to her 2-day-old newborn. The woman had filmed herself feeding three types of adult health supplements to her infant via a baby bottle, posting the content with promotional mentions of specific brands under the caption "newborn nutrition management."
However, police closed that case with no charges after experts determined the supplements contained only probiotics and vitamins, which could be given to newborns in small amounts.