A mother accused of abusing her son, including throwing a knife at him, caused her sentencing to be delayed after suddenly denying the charges in court and saying she only confessed to protect the child.
The Suwon District Court on Thursday reopened the case and ordered a sentencing investigation, saying her remarks in court directly contradicted the apology letters she had earlier submitted.
Judges said they needed a closer review before handing down a decision.
The defendant, a woman in her 40s, was indicted without detention in April on charges of violating the Child Welfare Act.
Prosecutors alleged that between November last year and early this year, she shoved her elementary school-aged son, pulled his hair, shouted at him, threw steamed eggs during meals while cursing, and even threw a knife that struck his chest.
The case began when the child himself reported the abuse to police.
But at Thursday’s sentencing hearing, the mother changed her story.
“I didn’t throw the knife,” she told the judge, claiming she had only admitted it earlier to avoid forcing her son to testify. When pressed about the steamed-egg incident, she again denied it, saying, “We weren’t even eating steamed eggs at the time.”
She said, "I couldn't believe my son was physically stronger than me, and that I was being overpowered."
She also claimedthat "I just yelled, and he reported me."
The court said it had planned to close the case quickly based on her earlier signs of remorse, but her sudden claim that her son was lying made that impossible.
The trial will resume with a sentencing investigation, with the next hearing set for Oct. 20.
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