According to Xinhua News Agency, a Korean couple was obsessed with online games, resulting in their newly born daughter starving to death. On the 28th, the Suwon District Court announced that both individuals would serve two years in prison each.
The husband, surnamed Kim, is 41 years old and works as a taxi driver. The wife is 25 years old and currently pregnant, receiving a suspended sentence. If she does not commit any crimes within three years, she will avoid imprisonment.
Prosecutors stated in the testimony that the baby girl was born prematurely, weighing only 2.25 kilograms.
However, the couple was enthusiastic about an online game that involved raising virtual children. They spent an average of 10 hours a day online, feeding their real child only once a day, sometimes giving her spoiled baby food. If the child cried due to hunger, she would be beaten.
Last September, after playing games all night, the couple returned home to find their child had starved to death. They hid the body at a relative's house. The autopsy revealed that the infant died from malnutrition.
In the verdict, the Suwon District Court said: "This is a barbaric criminal act. The defendants abandoned the most basic responsibilities of being parents and there is no reason for forgiveness."
This case has drawn attention from all sectors of Korean society. The South Korean government stated that approximately 2 million people in Korea are addicted to the internet.