According to the Gyeonggi Northern Provincial Police Agency’s Women and Juvenile Investigation Unit, the couple — identified only as Mr. A and Ms. B, both in their 30s — has been referred to the prosecution on charges of child neglect under the Child Welfare Act.
The tragic events unfolded in the early morning hours of February 20, when the couple left their son alone in their apartment in Pyeongnae-dong around 10 p.m. the night before. Instead of staying home to care for the infant, the pair went to a nearby PC café and spent the night playing games.
Shockingly, during their gaming session, the parents used a home surveillance camera to check in on their son and reportedly noticed signs that something was wrong. They rushed home and called emergency services immediately after discovering their son had died.
Authorities launched an investigation, including an autopsy, to determine the cause of death and whether it was directly linked to the child being left alone. However, the autopsy results returned as “cause of death unknown,” leaving police unable to establish a direct causality between the child’s death and the neglect.
A police official stated, “We conducted an investigation based on the circumstances before and after the incident, as well as the autopsy, but no direct causality between the death and the neglect was identified. Therefore, only the charge of neglect has been applied.”
Despite the lack of a confirmed cause of death, public outrage has intensified over the parents’ actions, sparking renewed calls for stricter laws and enforcement around child welfare and neglect. The case has now been forwarded to the prosecution, who will determine the next steps in the legal process.
nate