Jeju Police Miss Another Warning: Mother's Despair After 4-Year-Old Daughter Found Dead Despite Pleas

A mother residing in Australia who was in the middle of divorce proceedings with her husband won a court ruling to reclaim her 4-year-old daughter in South Korea, but the child was ultimately found dead, killed by her father.

The mother claims she repeatedly asked the police to check on her daughter's safety, but no proper action was taken.

At around 6:00 p.m. on October 12, a man in his 40s and his 4-year-old daughter were found dead inside a parked vehicle in Seogwipo, Jeju.

The man, surnamed A, suddenly brought his daughter to South Korea in late October of last year while undergoing divorce proceedings with his wife.

The mother, surnamed B, filed a lawsuit under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction with the Seoul Family Court to get her daughter back, winning the case on March 30 and receiving authorization for compulsory enforcement.

However, Mr. A had already fled with his daughter to Jeju Island.

Ms. B filed a missing person report with the Seogwipo Police Station in early April and asked them to find her daughter.

According to the bereaved family, however, the police failed to pinpoint Mr. A's exact location, checked on the child via a video call, and informed the mother that the daughter appeared to be doing well.

Then on October 2, Ms. B heard that Mr. A had told the daycare her daughter attended that he planned to leave for the United States, notifying them that the child would stop attending.

Ms. B immediately requested emergency measures from a local court in Australia and obtained a decision to cancel her daughter's passport.

She also asked the Jeju Provincial Police Agency to check the whereabouts and safety of her daughter, expressing concern over her ex-husband's unusual behavior.

However, Ms. B claims she received no contact from the police.

And on October 12, the daughter was ultimately found dead alongside her father.

According to Ms. B, the police had even conducted on-site investigations twice regarding Mr. A after receiving a suspected child abuse report on March 22—before the missing person report was filed—stating that "the child keeps crying."

Ms. B cried out, "I contacted relevant agencies every day from another country and begged the police, but this ultimately happened."

The police stated that they will organize the relevant details and release an official stance later.

Reported by Kim Minjeong | Video by Na Hong-hee | Graphics by Yook Do-hyun | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.