Around 26,000 child abuse cases reported in Korea last year

gettyimagesbank By Kim Hyun-bin New data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare indicates a troubling rise in child abuse cases, with around 26,000 incidents reported last year. Of these cases, 44 resulted in the death of children involved. The "2023 Child Abuse Annual Report," submitted to the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee on Friday, reveals a 5.

2 percent increase in reported cases of child abuse compared to the previous year. The report indicates that there were 48,522 abuse reports in 2023, up from 46,103 in 2022. Since 2019, reports of child abuse have shown a general upward trend, despite some fluctuations.



The numbers were 41,389 in 2019, 42,251 in 2020, 53,932 in 2021, 46,103 in 2022 and 48,522 in 2023. The report notes a significant spike in 2021, which followed the highly publicized death of a 16-month-old adopted child, drawing considerable attention to the issue. Although reports decreased slightly in 2022, they have resumed rising over the past five years.

According to the report, out of the 25,739 confirmed child abuse cases, 86 percent involved parents as perpetrators, up from 82.7 percent the previous year. Over the past five years, the proportion of abuse cases involving parents has risen from 75.

6 percent in 2019 to 85.9 percent in 2023. Abuse by surrogate caregivers, including preschool and school staff and child care workers, accounted for 7.

3 percent of the total cases. The report also reveals that 9.3 percent of abuse cases led to the removal of children from their homes for their protection.

Since March 2021, an emergency protection measure has been in effect, allowing for the immediate separation of children from their homes when there are strong signs of abuse or repeated reports. Repeated cases, where children experienced abuse more than once, numbered 4,048, accounting for 15.7 percent of the total abuse cases.

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