Exclusive: Toddler Killed by Father; Maternal Grandparents Also Involved in Abuse

[Anchor]

Regarding the case of a three-year-old child who died in an apartment in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, two months ago, other family members in addition to the biological father—who is already in custody—have been under investigation for child abuse. Specific acts of abuse by other family members living in the same household, including the maternal grandparents, have been confirmed.

Reporter Lee Se-hyeon reports exclusively.

[Reporter]

A-gun, who was rushed to the hospital with a severe head injury on April 9, eventually 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 child had urinated in his diaper, threw A-gun onto a stone bed.

[(Did other family members also participate in the abuse?) ....]

On the 1st of this month, the police confirmed signs of abuse by the maternal grandparents who lived with A-gun and his biological mother, and forwarded the case to the prosecution with a recommendation for indictment.

Footage from a vehicle's dashcam was included as evidence. SBS's investigation revealed that when A-gun, who was sitting in the back seat, tried to climb into the front seat, his maternal grandmother struck him on the back of the head, and his maternal grandfather used severe verbal abuse.

However, the police explained that the confirmed instances of abuse were limited to a single occurrence.

Furthermore, it was confirmed that the biological father and mother had abused their three children a total of 12 times 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 five months before A-gun's death but failed to take effective action.

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 in launching an investigation until two months after the report was filed.

In particular, the ministry pointed out that it was inappropriate for the city to summon the father to the city hall for an interview first, rather than conducting a home visit.

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

(Reported by Kim Hyun-sang | Video 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.