Mother arrested for abandoning toddler to die at home

This photo taken Thursday in Incheon shows the home of a woman arrested on suspicion of leaving her two-year-old son alone at home for three days. The child was found dead. (Yonhap via The Korea Herald/Asia News Network)

SEOUL — A 24-year-old woman was taken into custody by Incheon Police on Thursday on suspicion of neglecting her 2-year-old son at home alone for three days. The child was found dead.

Investigation by Incheon Police Station found that the suspect left her home in Michuhol-gu, Incheon, at around 2 p.m. Monday, and returned at 2 a.m. on Thursday. Police took her into custody on suspicion of child abuse, after the suspect herself called the police and said her child was not breathing.

The suspect did not state why she left her son alone at home, and just said that she is currently separated from her husband. Officials are conducting further investigation to find out her exact reason for abandoning the child, after which they will decide on whether to seek a warrant for her continued detention.

Child abuse cases across South Korea have been on the rise. According to the annual report issued last August by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, 53,932 cases of child abuse were reported to the authorities in 2021, up 27.6 percent from the year before.

A total of 40 children died due to abuse in 2021, 15 of whom were younger than 24 months of age. In 83.7 percent of the cases, the parent was found to have been responsible for the abuse.

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