A woman in her 30s has been booked for child abuse after a video showing her handing an electronic cigarette to her daughter and watching her smoke spread online.
Cheongwon Police Station said Wednesday that it had booked the mother without detention on charges of child neglect under the Child Welfare Act after receiving a complaint from a civic group.
The incident took place on a street in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, on March 17 and was captured on surveillance camera.
In the footage, the mother, whose identity is withheld, sits at an outdoor table with her three children. When the older of her two daughters reaches out, the mother hands her the e-cigarette. The child then takes a puff from the device and blows the vapor toward a younger sibling, who appears to be under school age, while the mother does not intervene. She then offers the e-cigarette to the sibling.
Officials plan to check whether the mother has any history of mental illness and continue to investigate the details of the incident.
junheee@heraldcorp.com
