Man Indicted for Neglecting Ill Mother to Death and Abandoning Body

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

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 abandonment of a lineal ascendant resulting in death.

According to prosecutors, Mr. A is accused of leaving his mother in her 80s without proper medical treatment despite a deterioration in her health at his home in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, in April of last year. After she died, he allegedly buried her body in a nearby wooded mountain three days later.

He is also accused of unlawfully collecting about 9 million won in his mother's name, including national pension and basic pension benefits, for over a year until July of this year.

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

Acting on the report, police apprehended Mr. A and transferred him into custody last month.

Through supplementary investigations—including analyzing medical records and consulting medical professionals, examining account histories, seeking advice from forensic experts, interviewing pension agency officials, and reviewing legal precedents for similar cases—prosecutors extracted a confession from Mr. A. He stated, "At the time of my mother's death, I failed to take rescue measures due to the financial burden of medical expenses, and I secretly buried the body in a mountain with the intent to continue illegally collecting her pension."

A prosecution official stated, "We will deal sternly with unfilial crimes committed against family members who are supposed to be supported."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.