Cult Beliefs: Sister Rejects Help for Disabled Brother for 20 Years

[iNews24, Choi Ran Reporter] A woman in her 70s, who neglected her severely mentally ill younger brother for over 20 years, has been brought to trial. It turns out she refused treatment for her brother and did not turn on the heater at home based on the belief that God wants him to suffer.

On the 22nd, the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutor’s Office Criminal Division 5 (Acting Chief Prosecutor Park Myung-hee) indicted the woman, referred to as Ms. A, without detention on charges of violating the Disabled Welfare Act.

Ms. A is accused of neglecting her 60-year-old younger brother, referred to as Mr. B, who is severely mentally disabled, from December 2001 to December 2022, by refusing his treatment on religious grounds and not turning on the heater even in the dead of winter.

Ms. A, the only guardian, is reported to have refused treatment for Mr. B following her religious belief that ‘he needs to be saved by God’, while managing his basic pension and other income.

Furthermore, it was reported that she neglected Mr. B in a poor living environment without a heating system or water, and with power cuts, where feces were smeared around and no cleaning was done. As a result, Mr. B’s life was in danger due to malnutrition.

Mr. B, who is unable to cope with his daily life alone due to his severe mental illness, was reportedly denied protection by other family members.

The prosecution, which received the case from the police in September last year, conducted a supplementary investigation and urgently rescued Mr. B and took administrative admission measures on December 1 of the same year

Mr. B was administratively admitted for about six months from December 2022, but it was confirmed that he was again neglected by Ms. A after his discharge due to the expiration of the period.

The prosecution discussed appointing an adult guardian for Mr. B to prevent recurrence, and registering him as a disabled person so that he can receive welfare benefits such as disability pension and admission to a facility for the disabled.

A prosecution official said, “We will do our best to maintain the indictment so that protective measures for Mr. B can be carried out promptly and Ms. A can be sentenced to a punishment commensurate with her crime.”

By. Ran Choi