A father in his 20s who hit his 7-month-old son's soles with a fly swatter to stop hiccups has been convicted of child abuse.
Judge Kwak Kyung-pyeong of Incheon District Court 2nd Criminal Division announced today (23rd) that he sentenced A (28), who was accused of child abuse under the Child Welfare Act, to a fine of 3 million won and ordered him to complete a 40-hour child abuse treatment program.
Mr. A was accused of abusing his 7-month-old son, B, three times at his home in Gyeyang-gu, Incheon, for three months from April 2021.
He hit the soles of group B's feet several times with a fly swatter handle or his hand, and threw a pillow.
In court, Mr. A denied the charge of child abuse, claiming, "I hit the soles of my feet to make my son cry and stop the hiccups," but the court found that even if Mr. A's claim was true, the act of hitting the soles of his 7-month-old son with a fly swatter was justified. It was determined that it was abuse, not childcare.
Judge Kwak judged that "the accused, as a father, was physically abusive even though he was supposed to protect and raise the victim."
However, he revealed the reason for the sentencing, saying, "It seems that there was some intention to stop the victim's hiccups."
(Photo = Yonhap News)