Toddler dies after being force-fed by parents with spicy sauce, alcoholic drink
Parents in South Korea are facing charges of child abuse after their two-year-old child died due to allegedly being force-fed with ultra-spicy buldak sauce and soju.
In a report by The Straits Times, the father and mother of the toddler, who are both in their 30s, have been charged with child abuse resulting in death, repeated abuse, and negligence during the first hearing at the Daejeon District Court.
While the father has been put behind bars by police, the mother managed to avoid physical detention.
The news outlet detailed that the deceased child, who is the youngest among their four children, had been born prematurely and had to use a feeding tube after they were discharged from the hospital.
However, prosecutors alleged that the parents did not use the feeding tube as instructed and would instead force-feed the toddler their food.
They were also accused of getting physically violent with their child and would frequently kick and beat them, leading to multiple bruises and a fracture on their skull.
Things reached a boiling point when the child was fed buldak sauce, a particularly spicy flavoring for Korean noodles.
When they noticed that the toddler was feeling unwell, the parents tried to treat it by supposedly feeding the child soju, an alcoholic drink that is often referred to as Korea's national beverage.
When they found that the child was no longer breathing the following day, they called emergency services to report the incident. However, medical staff declared that the toddler was already dead and had been suffering from extreme malnutrition.
"The parents did not report the death immediately out of fear that their abusive actions would be exposed. They called for help only after realizing they could not handle the situation themselves," the prosecutors said.
Upon investigation, the parents' three other children were not found to have any signs of abuse. Nevertheless, they have been placed in the care of the grandparents while the case is still ongoing.
