Exclusive: Grandparents Also Involved in Abuse of Toddler Killed by Father

[Anchor]

Regarding the case of a three-year-old child who died in an apartment in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, two months ago, other family members in addition to the biological father—who has already been arrested—have been under investigation for child abuse. Specific acts of abuse by other family members living in the same household, including the maternal grandparents, have been confirmed.

Reporter Lee Se-hyeon has this exclusive report.

[Reporter]

On April 9, the child, identified as A, was rushed to the hospital with a severe head injury sustained at home and passed away five days later. The biological father was arrested on charges of child abuse during that time.

The prosecution's indictment states that the father, enraged because the child had urinated in his diaper, threw the boy onto a stone bed.

[(Did other family members participate in the abuse?) ....]

On June 1, the police confirmed signs of abuse by the child's biological mother and the maternal grandparents living with them, and referred the case to the prosecution with a recommendation for indictment.

Footage recorded on a vehicle's dashboard camera was included as evidence. SBS's investigation revealed that when the child, who was sitting in the back seat, tried to climb into the front seat, the maternal grandmother struck the back of his head, and the maternal grandfather used severe profanity.

However, the police explained that the confirmed instances of abuse by the grandparents were limited to a single occurrence.

Furthermore, it was confirmed that the child's biological parents had abused their three children on 12 separate occasions since last year. It was also revealed that the father had even distributed boxing gloves to the children and forced them to fight each other.

Criticism is also mounting against the Yangju City government, which had received a report of suspected child abuse and launched an investigation five months before the child's death.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare stated that an on-site inspection last month revealed several violations of the child abuse response manual by Yangju City, including a delay in launching an investigation until two months after the report was received.

In particular, the ministry pointed out that it was inappropriate to summon the father to the city office for an interview instead of conducting a home visit.

Despite the controversy over the inadequate investigation, it was found that the official in charge at Yangju City had received a promotion and is currently undergoing training. Yangju City stated, "The promotion was scheduled, and we are conducting an internal investigation regarding the results of the Ministry of Health and Welfare's inspection."

Reported by Kim Hyun-sang | Video by Kim Jun-hee | Graphics by Choi Jae-young | VJ by Kim Hyung-jin
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.