Exclusive: 3-Year-Old Boy Killed by Father; Maternal Grandparents Also Involved in Abuse

[Anchor]

Regarding the case from two months ago where a three-year-old child died at an apartment in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, other family members have been under investigation for child abuse in addition to the biological father, who is already in custody. 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 three-year-old boy, identified as A, was rushed to the hospital with a severe head injury and passed away five days later. His biological father was arrested on charges of child abuse during that time.

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

[(Were other family members involved in the abuse?) ....]

On June 1, the police confirmed evidence of abuse by the boy's mother and the maternal grandparents, who lived with him, and forwarded the case to the prosecution with a recommendation for indictment.

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

However, the police explained that the confirmed instances of abuse by the grandparents were limited to this one incident.

Additionally, it was found that the boy's biological father and mother had abused their three children on 12 separate occasions since last year. It was also revealed that the father had given 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 boy'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 where the city did not begin its investigation until two months after receiving the report.

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

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

Reported by Lee Se-hyeon | Video by Kim Hyun-sang | Video Editing 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.