South Korean mum faces child abuse charges for feeding rice cake soup to 2-month-old baby

The dish, commonly eaten to mark the new year in South Korea, is considered inappropriate for infants, whose digestive systems are not yet developed enough to process semi-solid foods.

According to the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency on Friday, the unidentified woman is being investigated for violating the Child Welfare Act. She is accused of feeding her infant son foods such as tteokguk, yogurt and strawberries between January and February at her home in Incheon.

Police said they determined such foods were unsuitable for a baby of that age and could pose health risks.

The case came to public attention after the mother uploaded a photo to social media in February. The image showed a small bowl of tteokguk with a baby spoon placed inside. In a separate post, she shared a photo of the infant with visible scratches on his face, accompanied by a caption containing profanity.

Concerned users began questioning whether the food shown was intended for the baby. In response to one comment, the mother reportedly wrote that she had fed the child “five spoonfuls of broth”.