The number of child abuse cases in South Korea reached 10,647 in the first half of last year, an increase of 18.7 percent compared to 8,972 cases in the same period in 2016, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
There were 6,796 cases in 2013, 10,177 in 2014, 11,715 in 2015 and 18,700 in 2016. The figure for the second half of last year has not been released, but the number of cases for the entire 2017 is likely to exceed 20,000. 

Nearly 72 percent of the offenders were parents, while 15 percent were day care centers, kindergartens and school teachers. Relatives made up 4.5 percent.