[Editor's Pick] Son Beats Mother with Dementia to Death: The 'Maternal Love' That Endures in Silence

A 70-year-old mother passed away after being abused for a year and a half by her child in their 40s, with whom she lived.

The perpetrator would tape her mouth shut for failing to perform household chores properly or repeatedly kick her when she fell.

In a recent first trial, the daughter among the siblings was sentenced to seven years in prison, while the son received a three-year sentence.

In another case, a man in his 50s was arrested for brutally beating his 80-year-old mother, who suffered from severe dementia, leading to her death.

[Interview] (Did you not know that beating your mother could lead to her death?) ...

The perpetrator was sentenced to six years in prison in his first trial on June 11.

According to data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, there were approximately 26,000 reports of elder abuse involving individuals aged 65 and older last year, an increase of about 17% compared to the previous year.

The number of confirmed cases of elder abuse reached approximately 7,900, an 11% increase, marking an all-time high.

The perpetrators were spouses (39.4%), sons (23.5%), institutions (18.9%), and daughters (7.7%). This trend reflects the decreasing number of households where children live with their parents and the rising number of households consisting only of elderly couples.

What stands out is who initially reports the elder abuse.

Only 226 cases were reported by the victims themselves, accounting for a mere 2.8%.

The proportion of self-reported cases was as high as 24.7% in 2015, but it dropped to 5.3% in 2020 and fell to the 2% range last year.

This decline appears to be influenced by feelings of helplessness due to habitual violence and the perception that "it is embarrassing to expose family matters to the outside world."

[Interview] Kim Do-saeng / Yeongdeungpo-dong, Seoul: It is useless to talk about it. Even if I hear people around me saying, "Oh, they are being abused so badly," I just think...

In particular, there is a clear tendency for victims to keep quiet even after being abused, fearing that their spouses or children might be punished.

Even when authorities arrive after receiving a report, victims often deny that anything happened or ask to drop the matter, making it difficult to even verify the facts of the abuse.

[Interview] Choi So-yeon / Police Officer, Victim Protection Team, Yeongdeungpo Police Station: Elder abuse almost always occurs within the family. Many are reluctant to report it because they think, "My family will be punished." That is why we are working with relevant agencies to break down those barriers...

[Interview] Lee Min-ho / Social Worker, Seoul Nambu Senior Protection Agency: Most elderly people do not tell us (at first), or they say things like, "I am fine." Because elder abuse has a hidden nature, we believe there are plenty of cases of elder abuse that we are unaware of and that have not been reported.

However, experts agree that since reporting must precede measures such as counseling or separation, there is a need for the belief that "reporting will make a difference."

There are 20 shelters nationwide exclusively for elderly victims of abuse where those who have suffered severe abuse can stay away from home, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare has announced plans to expand these facilities.

Fearing Punishment for Husbands and Sons... Self-Reporting of 'Elder Abuse' at 2% (June 12, 2026, D-Report)

Reported by Han Seong-hee | Written by Lee Se-young | Video by Park Hyun-chul | Video Editing by Choi Hye-young | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.