As child-abuse killings have occurred in succession recently, calls for severe punishment of perpetrators and for new legislation are growing.

On the 10th, members of the civic coalition ‘Aijeongwon’ held a memorial rally for children killed by such crimes in front of the Daegu High Court and urged authorities to put measures in place. Aijeongwon was formed in the wake of last October’s so-called ‘Haedeuni case’ in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, in which a four-month-old child was abused and killed.

They focus their activities on child-abuse cases that have occurred nationwide, including in Daegu, Yangju, Changnyeong, Incheon, and Siheung. In Daegu, the first hearing of the appeal was held that day for the biological father who beat his 42-day-old son to death and then abandoned the body.

That day, Aijeongwon said, “By speaking on behalf of the children who were lost amid recurring child-abuse cases, we hope the same tragedy will never be repeated,” adding, “Child-abuse killings across the country must never be forgotten.”

The group also holds that legal amendments are needed to improve public awareness of child-abuse crimes, stiffen penalties for serious child-abuse offenses, and strengthen protection systems for victimized children.

At the sentencing hearing that day before the Daegu High Court’s Criminal Division 2 (Presiding Judge Won Ho-shin), prosecutors sought a 15-year prison term for Mr. A, a man in his 30s indicted on charges including child-abuse murder. Earlier, the court of first instance had sentenced Mr. A to 13 years in prison.

In his final statement, Mr. A said, “I should have been the safest presence for my child, but I became a dangerous one,” and, “I have become a sorry excuse for a father even to my two remaining children. I live every day in regret, reflection, and repentance.” The sentencing hearing is scheduled for next month.

Mr. A was brought to trial on charges of beating his 42-day-old son to death at his home in Dalseong-gun, Daegu, last September and then secretly burying the body.

The first-instance court stated, “He inflicted a strong impact on his 42-day-old son, who had no ability to resist, because the baby was crying and fussing, causing death by cerebral edema,” and, “Messages the defendant’s wife exchanged with a friend, among other things, indicate that abuse had occurred habitually.”

Meanwhile, prosecutors are also reportedly investigating the deceased child’s biological mother.