The Supreme Court of South Korea has upheld prison sentences for a couple convicted of attempting to kill their two teenage children, driven to desperation by gambling debts. The court confirmed a three-year sentence for the father, identified as A, and a three-year suspended sentence with a five-year probation period for the mother, B.
The case, which came to light in December 2024, involved a failed attempt by the parents to end the lives of their children using charcoal briquettes and sleep-inducing medication. According to court documents and reports from the SBS News, A had accumulated an additional 34 million won (approximately $26,000 USD) in gambling debts on top of existing loans, leading to a state of despair.
The couple faced charges of attempted murder and child abuse. The initial trial, as reported by Daum News, found them guilty on both counts. The father’s appeal was dismissed by a lower court, which agreed with the initial assessment that the attempt to halt the act was not voluntary. The court specifically rejected arguments that the father had stopped the attempt of his own accord, stating that such a claim could not be substantiated.
The children, while expressing a desire for leniency, were not considered in the sentencing due to the nature of the crime. The court emphasized, as detailed in reports from Law Issue, that the act of a parent attempting to kill their children fundamentally differed from typical cases where a victim might request leniency for their abuser. The court stated that the children were the subjects of protection, and the parents’ actions violated that trust.
The couple’s financial difficulties were exacerbated by relentless debt collection efforts, contributing to their desperate state, according to Edaily. The Supreme Court’s decision, announced on March 6, 2026, brings a finality to the legal proceedings. The father, A, will now serve his three-year prison sentence, while the mother, B, will be subject to the terms of her suspended sentence and probation period.
