Daughter Gets Prison Sentence for Neglecting Elderly Father to Death While Secretly Eating Cup Tteokbokki

A woman in her 30s has been sentenced to prison for neglecting her ailing father and causing him to die of malnutrition.

Incheon District Court Criminal Division 13 (Presiding Judge Kim Ki-pung) announced on October 20 that it sentenced a 39-year-old woman, surnamed A, to 3 years and 6 months in prison on charges of abandonment resulting in the death of an ascendant.

A was put on trial for leaving her 76-year-old father, B, unattended without providing meals or care at their home in Michuhol-gu, Incheon, from June until July 22 of last year, ultimately leading to his death.

Investigations revealed that although B was unable to eat meals or relieve himself on his own, A failed to take her father to a hospital.

While neglecting B and failing to give him the rice and side dishes prepared by neighbors, A was even found eating cup tteokbokki alone on the building stairs.

Ultimately, B died around 6:37 PM on July 22 of last year due to an electrolyte imbalance caused by malnutrition.

At the time of his death, B stood 170 centimeters tall but weighed only 34 kilograms.

Investigations showed that B had already been diagnosed with generalized weakness at a nearby hospital after collapsing outside while trying to buy food on May 30 of last year.

The local administrative welfare center had registered B as a case management recipient on May 13 of last year, providing him with lunchboxes and food items.

However, when welfare center staff visited four days before her father's death, A kept the door locked and refused to open it, and even drove them away and closed the door on the day of his death.

Living off monthly rent and a basic old-age pension, A visited the administrative welfare center to apply for and receive her first livelihood recovery support fund even on the day her father died.

The court stated that despite having the duty to support and protect her father, who was incapable of daily life and in need of medical treatment, the defendant left him neglected for a long period, leading to his death. The court ruled that the nature of the crime is extremely grave given its duration and its unfilial nature.

The court added in explaining the sentencing rationale that the victim must have suffered considerable pain until his death, noting that A recognized the need for treatment as the victim's condition rapidly deteriorated and received some assistance from welfare officials, yet still neglected the victim for a long period without providing minimal care.

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