An 11-year-old girl who was found dead after living in a church has been identified as the victim of severe physical abuse. The pastor of the church, who allegedly perpetrated the abuse, has been arrested and charged with "child abuse resulting in death." The girl, whose name has not been released, was found dead on the 2nd of last month at a church in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. According to the police, the girl had been living at the church for about a year. During that time, she was subjected to severe physical abuse by the 55-year-old pastor, identified as Kim. The police investigation found that the girl suffered severe injuries, including a fractured skull and multiple bruises, before her death. Kim has been indicted on charges of child abuse resulting in death and is currently being held in custody. The case has sparked widespread outrage and calls for greater protection for vulnerable children. The police have not released further details about the case, citing the need to protect the victim's privacy.

A 60-year-old church pastor in South Korea has been arrested on suspicion of child murder after an 11-year-old child died at a local hospital. The child had been brought to a university hospital in Chungnam province after exhibiting symptoms of high fever and loss of consciousness. Sadly, the child passed away on February 6th at 12:02 AM after being unresponsive for over three hours.

Police were investigating the pastor based on several reasons, including the finding of a bump on the child's body, rope marks on the child's wrists and ankles, and two previous reports of child abuse filed in January. The child had mostly grown up in the church, with only a few months spent in the hospital. The pastor's 50-year-old mother-in-law is also under arrest for allegedly mistreating the child, with three previous reports of abuse filed, including one where the child reported being beaten by her.

Police are also investigating another adult who lived with the family. Since 2021, there have been four reports of suspected child abuse concerning the child, but previous actions to separate the child from the alleged abuser were not taken, and a restraining order against the mother-in-law was dismissed by the court. The child was returned to the church, and police found the child had been restrained for about 38 hours.

Chungnam Child Protection Office director Kim Ho stated that they have arrested the pastor while continuing to investigate if there are additional suspects and that they will continue the investigation of the pastor and his church until it is concluded. They plan to form a checking team headed by a safety enforcement officer to ensure similar cases do not occur again and thoroughly examine the issues of safety and possible improvements.