The Incheon District Court sentenced the father and mother of an 8-year-old boy to four and three years in prison, respectively, for beating their child to death.
The parents violently reprimanded their son on Feb. 19 at their home in Incheon, because the boy lied about watching TV.
They lashed the boy in the thigh and bottom dozens of times with a back scratcher and imposed other physical punishments.
Though the boy vomited and showed symptoms of severe shock, the parents did not stop punishing him.
After hours of violent beatings, the boy died of shock as he was being rushed to a nearby hospital.
The court said in its ruling that the punishments were not discipline but assault.
“They needed to be heavily punished as they took a precious life. The sentence is also to warn parents who opt to impose corporal discipline on their children,” the court added.