Man indicted over abuse of girlfriend's 7-year-old for 'not speaking properly'

A man has been indicted for allegedly severely beating a 7-year-old with autism, the child of his girlfriend, because the child "didn't speak properly," according to the prosecution.

The man, currently in detention, is accused of beating the child, going by the alias Seo-yun, severely enough to fracture ribs. Prosecutors are continuing their investigation into the child’s mother on suspicion of aiding the abuse, while local authorities plan to keep the child at a shelter for the time being.

The man is accused of repeatedly assaulting Seo-yun at his home in Seocheon, South Chungcheong, between July and September last year, resulting in serious injuries, including fractured ribs and bruising around the eyes. The Hongseong branch of the Daejeon District Prosecutors’ Office indicted the man on charges including assault under the Act on Welfare of Persons with Disabilities and child abuse under the Child Welfare Act.

The investigation into the man began after a teacher at the kindergarten Seo-yun attended reported suspected abuse and neglect to the police. Police initially referred the man to prosecutors without detention last November on a neglect charge under the Child Welfare Act, because Seo-yun's mother argued that the bruises were due to a car accident. Authorities also struggled to gather evidence through interviews with the child.

However, prosecutors requested a supplementary investigation after taking over the case. Police then conducted an additional investigation, including a search of the man's residence and the seizure of his mobile phone in April, and confirmed circumstances suggesting physical abuse.

The man, who initially denied the abuse allegations during the police investigation, reportedly changed his statement after the search and seizure, saying that he "did lightly hit the child as a form of discipline, but there was no severe violence.” Police also secured a partial confession from the mother before referring the man to prosecutors on May 6.

Prosecutors are also continuing their investigation into the mother on charges including aiding child abuse. The mother was referred without detention on suspicion of concealing the abuse and failing to report it despite knowing that the man had assaulted Seo-yun.

Seo-yun has been staying at a shelter in South Chungcheong since October last year. The child’s condition has reportedly improved significantly while receiving treatment with support from local authorities. 

However, the maximum nine-month stay at the shelter is scheduled to expire at the end of next month, but the mother is not in a position to care for the child, according to the prosecutors and the Seocheon government officials.

Authorities cited concerns about repeat abuse because the mother allegedly continued to defend and stay in contact with the man even after the police investigation began. Since sending the child back home is considered difficult, authorities plan to extend the shelter stay for as long as possible and arrange future housing while taking the child’s condition into account.

“There is a nationwide shortage of shelters for abused children who require specialized treatment or support, including children with developmental disabilities,” said Kim Ji-hye, a professor of social welfare at Namseoul University. “Returning children to their families is ideal, but in many cases, conditions do not allow for that. The government needs to expand spaces that can protect children like these.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

BY BYUN MIN-CHUL [[email protected]]