A South Korean singer and YouTuber in her 40s has received a lengthy prison sentence for killing her teenage daughter after physically assaulting her, pouring hot water over her head, and leaving her without medical treatment despite severe burns.
On October 8, the First Criminal Division of the Jinju Branch of Changwon District Court, presided over by Judge Lee Seung Il, sentenced the woman, identified only as A, to 25 years in prison after finding her guilty of murdering her biological daughter.
A was indicted and detained on charges of assaulting her 18-year-old daughter, identified as B, in Namhae County, South Gyeongsang Province, in September 2025. The victim, a first-year university student who was taking a leave of absence, was allegedly left inside a vehicle for more than two days following the assault and subsequently died.
According to the prosecution’s indictment, A attacked her daughter with a wooden stick and other objects because she believed the teenager had embarrassed her. The assault caused a laceration to the victim’s scalp. A then poured hot water onto the top of her daughter’s head, causing burns that covered approximately 27% of her body.
Although B complained of difficulty breathing, her mother failed to take the necessary steps to help her. Instead, prosecutors said A deliberately withheld appropriate medical treatment and left her daughter inside a vehicle in an attempt to conceal the abuse. The teenager eventually died.
The crime came to light when A brought her daughter to the emergency department of a hospital in Namhae County. Medical staff discovered numerous injuries and bruises across the victim’s body and immediately notified the police, prompting an investigation. Reports indicated that B was already dead when she arrived at the hospital. An autopsy conducted by the National Forensic Service determined that she had died from shock caused by severe physical trauma and other injuries.
During the final hearing on September 10, prosecutors requested the death penalty, the maximum punishment permitted under South Korean law. They argued that A had consistently denied both her actions and her responsibility throughout the trial, shown no remorse, and presented a high risk of reoffending.
Meanwhile, A’s legal representatives maintained that she had not intended to kill her daughter. “There was no intention to commit murder,” the defense argued, asking the court for leniency.
However, the court strongly condemned both A’s actions and her conduct following the assault. “The defendant inflicted serious injuries on the victim and caused burns across her body. Yet, because she was concerned about concealing her actions, she failed to take the victim to a hospital or ensure that she received appropriate medical treatment,” the court stated. “Despite this, she has refused to acknowledge her wrongdoing and continues to evade responsibility for the crime.”
The judges nevertheless explained that they had considered several factors in determining the sentence, including the difficulty of concluding that the defendant had meticulously planned the crime in advance.
After weighing the circumstances of the case, the court ultimately sentenced A to 25 years in prison.
Sources: Nate