Man Indicted for Neglecting Ill Elderly Mother to Death and Illicitly Collecting Pensions

A man in his 60s has been indicted and detained for neglecting his ailing elderly mother to death and unlawfully collecting her pensions.

The Criminal Division 1 of the Gimcheon Branch of the Daegu District Prosecutors' Office (led by Senior Prosecutor Lim Ji-soo) announced today (September 10) that it has indicted and detained Mr. A on charges including patricide by abandonment.

According to prosecutors, Mr. A is accused of leaving his 80s mother without proper medical treatment despite her deteriorating health at his residence in Gumi, Gyeongsangbuk-do, in April of last year, and burying her body on a nearby mountain three days after she died.

He is also accused of illicitly receiving approximately 9 million won in national and basic pensions under his mother's name for about a year until July of this year.

Mr. A kept the fact hidden before recently telling his son, who then reported the matter to the police.

Upon receiving the report, police arrested Mr. A last month and forwarded him to the prosecutors in detention.

Through supplementary investigations, including the analysis of medical records and consultations with medical professionals, financial account analysis, forensic consultations, interviews with pension agency officials, and legal reviews of similar cases, prosecutors extracted a confession from Mr. A stating, "I did not provide rescue measures at the time of my mother's death due to the financial burden of medical expenses, and I buried her body on the mountain with the intent to continue receiving her pensions illicitly."

A prosecution official stated, "We will strictly crack down on unfilial crimes committed against family members who require support."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
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