A woman in her 30s has been sentenced to prison for neglecting her father, who was unable to even feed himself, leaving him to die of malnutrition.
The Incheon District Court's 13th criminal division, presided over by Chief Judge Kim Ki-poong, sentenced the 39-year-old defendant to three years and six months in prison on charges of abandonment of a lineal ascendant resulting in death, legal sources said on the 20th.
Prosecutors said the woman failed to provide adequate meals to her 76-year-old father at their home in Incheon's Michuhol District between June and July 22 of last year, leaving him to die.
At the time, the father was unable to feed himself or manage his own toileting. The investigation found that the daughter did not provide necessary care, including failing to take him to a hospital.
On May 30 last year, the father collapsed after leaving the house to find food and was diagnosed with general debility at a nearby hospital.
He died at about 6:37 p.m. on July 22 from an electrolyte imbalance caused by malnutrition and other factors. He stood 170 centimeters tall but weighed just 34 kilograms at the time of his death.
The daughter failed to properly care for her father even when help was offered, the investigation found. A neighbor prepared rice and side dishes for him, but she did not give the food to her father. Instead, she was found to have eaten a cup of tteokbokki, a spicy rice cake dish, alone on the building's stairs.
The local community service center had also registered the father as a case management client on May 13 last year and provided boxed meals and other food. But four days before his death, the daughter locked the door and refused to open it when center staff visited the home. On the day he died, she also turned away visiting staff and closed the door.
The daughter, who had been living on monthly rent payments and an old-age pension, visited the community service center on the day her father died to apply for and receive the first round of the government's livelihood recovery payment.
"Despite having a duty to support and protect a father who was incapable of daily living and in need of treatment, the defendant neglected him for an extended period, resulting in his death," the court said. "In light of the duration of the offense and its moral depravity, the nature of the crime is extremely grave."
The court added: "The defendant recognized the need for treatment as the victim's condition rapidly deteriorated and received some support from welfare officials, yet neglected the victim for a long period without providing even minimal care. The victim appears to have suffered considerable pain until his death."