Daughter in Her 30s Ate Tteokbokki Alone... 34-kg Father Dies of Malnutrition

Prosecuted on charges of abandoning her father and causing his death; sentenced to prison
"Left the victim unattended for an extended period without providing even the most basic care"

A woman in her 30s who was indicted on charges of leaving her ailing father unattended, causing him to die of malnutrition, was sentenced to prison.

The 13th Criminal Division of the Incheon District Court, presided over by Judge Kim Gipung, sentenced A, 39, to three years and six months in prison on charges of abandonment of a lineal ascendant resulting in death, the court said on October 20.

A is accused of leaving her father, B, 76, unattended at their home in Michuhol-gu, Incheon, from June to July 22, 2025, including by not giving him meals, which led to his death.

The Asia Business Daily DB

An investigation found that B was physically unable to eat or use the toilet on his own, but A did not care for him, including by taking him to a hospital. A also left uneaten the rice and side dishes that a neighbor had prepared for B, while she herself sometimes ate cup tteokbokki alone on the building's stairs.

B died at around 6:37 p.m. on July 22, 2025, from an electrolyte imbalance caused by malnutrition and other factors. At the time of his death, B weighed just 34 kg despite being 170 cm tall. Investigators also found that on May 30, 2025, B had gone outside to buy food but collapsed and was taken to a nearby hospital, where medical staff diagnosed him with general weakness.

The local administrative welfare center registered B for case management on May 13, 2025, and provided him with boxed meals and other food. However, four days before his father died, A locked the door when welfare center employees came to visit. On the day of his death, she drove them away and shut the door, investigators found.

On the day her father died, A also visited the administrative welfare center and applied for and received the first round of the Livelihood Recovery Support Fund. Investigators found that she usually lived on income from rent assistance and an old-age pension.

The court ruled, "The defendant left her father unattended for an extended period, despite having a duty to support and protect him when he was unable to manage daily life and needed medical treatment, ultimately causing his death. Given the duration of the crime and its especially egregious nature, the offense is very serious."

The court added, "The victim's condition deteriorated rapidly, and the defendant recognized that he needed medical treatment. She also received some assistance from welfare officials, yet left him without even minimal care for an extended period. The victim must have suffered considerably until his death." The court cited these reasons in determining the sentence.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.