The news of that day has passed, but its meaning remains with us today. "On This Day" reads the present through the records of the past.
Three years ago today, on May 27, 2023, a father in his 20s who abused his 2-month-old son, breaking 29 ribs and causing his death, received a prison sentence in an appeals trial. At the time, the Suwon High Court's Criminal Division 3 (high court judges Kim Dong-kyu, Heo Yang-yoon, and Won Ik-seon) rejected the appeal of A, a man in his 20s who had been tried on charges including child abuse resulting in death, and upheld the first trial's ruling of 10 years in prison.
From December 2021 to January 2022, A repeatedly struck the face of his 2-month-old son B and violently shook his body, inflicting severe physical trauma at his apartment in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.
Although A had inflicted fractures on B's torso, including his chest, causing seizure symptoms, he did not take him to the hospital in time. B, who suffered from the abuse, showed abnormal symptoms around 7:10 a.m. on January 13, 2022, but due to a delayed report, he was moved to the hospital only about two hours later. About 10 days later, he died from cerebral edema caused by traumatic brain injury.
During B's treatment, medical staff confirmed fractures in 29 places throughout his body, including the femur and ribs. The autopsy examiner at the National Forensic Service who performed the autopsy on the victim child also offered the opinion that "the victim's fractures are suspected to have resulted from prolonged abuse, and the head injury is a symptom that could only occur from shaking so violently that anyone would think, 'shaking that hard could kill someone.'"
◇ "I Never Abused Him," He Pleaded, But = During the first trial, A claimed, "I did not abuse him, and there must be another cause," but the court did not accept this. The first trial court stated, "Although he should have grown up receiving his parents' love, he was instead abused and ended his short life without even having his birth registered," adding, "The defendant's actions as the biological father carry heavy culpability and deserve condemnation."
A then appealed on grounds of an improper sentence, but the second trial court also did not accept his argument. The appeals court likewise ruled, "The defendant's crime violated the life of a child who could not protect himself, and his culpability is heavy." It further explained the reason for rejecting the appeal, stating, "Recognizing the severity of such child abuse-related crimes, our society has formed a social consensus that strict punishment is needed for child abuse crimes," and "Even considering various sentencing factors, the original sentence cannot be said to be excessive."
The appeals court also rejected the appeal of B's biological mother C, who was indicted together on charges of child abandonment and neglect. C was sentenced in the first trial to one year in prison, suspended for two years, on charges of neglect for failing to take appropriate protective measures even though B had been injured and showed abnormal symptoms.
◇ Parents Account for 84% of Child Abuse Perpetrators = Reports of child abuse continue to rise. According to the "2024 Child Abuse Statistics" released by the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW), reports of child abuse numbered 50,242, increasing for five consecutive years since 2020. Parents accounted for 84.1% of abusers, and most abuse occurred within the home (82.9%).
