Couple nurtured virtual child while real baby starved

[D7M]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapc...ex.html?hpt=T2

Seoul, South Korea (CNN) -- Police have arrested a South Korean couple whose toddler starved to death while they were raising a virtual child online, authorities said.

The couple fed their 3-month-old daughter once a day between marathon stretches in a local Internet cafe, where they were raising a virtual child in the fantasy role-playing game Prius Online, police told local reporters Friday.
Prius Online is a 3-D game in which players nurture an online companion, Anima, a young girl with mysterious powers who grows and increases her skills as the game progresses.

Police have not identified the 41-year-old father and 25-year-old mother, who lived in Suwon, a suburb south of Seoul. But the father apologized, speaking to reporters.

"I wish that she hadn't got sick and that she will live well in heaven forever. And as the father, I am sorry," he said.

The baby reportedly died five months ago.

South Korea has one of the world's fastest broadband networks. Seoul has won international awards for e-governance. Online gaming teams are sponsored by major conglomerates and 24-hour, high-speed Internet cafes, known as PC Bangs, dot every urban neighborhood.

Police said the couple had lost their jobs and used the game as an escape from reality, especially after the birth of their premature baby.

"They instead played an online game in which they raised a virtual character so as to escape from reality, which led to the death of their real baby," Chung Jin-won, a police officer in Suwon, told Yonhap News Agency.

"South Korea remains a very conservative society so people who fall outside the norm can come under severe stress and pressure," said Michael Breen, the Seoul-based author of "The Koreans."

"The Internet has provided such people with a paradise to escape to and simply get lost in."

[JBarron]

That makes me sick. You have to be pretty soulless to neglect a new born infant.

[Vitruvian-Man]

I saw this last night on CNN. When I saw the picture of that dead malnourished child I felt ill.

I really hope that they get hung.

IMO they don't deserve to live.

Why bother bringing a life into this world if you are just going to neglect it, and pretend as if it isn't there.

I really hope the government makes an example of out them.

[ModelInProgress]

Wow...I can't even think of an appropriate expletive phrase to address this one. They should be locked up and starved to death themselves.

[Vitruvian-Man]

They should be locked up and starved to death themselves.

....x10!!!

atta' girl haha

-VM

[xlxBigSexyxlx]

wow... just wow...

[KimboHalfSlice]

I'm not so sure the parents need to be punished.

As is explained in the article above, they seemed to be mentally ill, they both lost their jobs and the birth of their child brought added stress.

If they get psychological help and "get better", I reckon they'll realise what they've actually done.

[Kratos]

I'm not so sure the parents need to be punished.

As is explained in the article above, they seemed to be mentally ill, they both lost their jobs and the birth of their child brought added stress.

If they get psychological help and "get better", I reckon they'll realise what they've actually done.

I don't see any mention of mental illness. Just that they play a lot of video games as many koreans do. I'm willing to bet their job loss had something to do with playing video games and not making it to work.

Playing video games is not a mental illness as far as I know.

[Mooseman33]

I'm not so sure the parents need to be punished.

As is explained in the article above, they seemed to be mentally ill, they both lost their jobs and the birth of their child brought added stress.

If they get psychological help and "get better", I reckon they'll realise what they've actually done.

fvk that, mental illness or not, they killed a child.

i hate the fact u cannot punnish someone with a mental illness,fvk the insanity plea, they both should be hung...bottomline.

[Vitruvian-Man]

fvk that, mental illness or not, they killed a child.

i hate the fact u cannot punnish someone with a mental illness,fvk the insanity plea, they both should be hung...bottomline.

x2.... they didn't even care enough about their own child (which symbolizes the purest form of human innocence) to at least hand it over to Child Protective Services. They just literally starved it to death.

How the f*** could someone ever bring another life into this world, and then decide to punish it, and/or harm it. What could have the child ever done in its brief time on Earth to ever deserve that type of horrific, long, painful death. Their actions, to me, are completely inconceivable.

They should both die for the choices they made.

-VM

[Kratos]

fvk that, mental illness or not, they killed a child.

i hate the fact u cannot punnish someone with a mental illness,fvk the insanity plea.

I think if you knew more about mental illness, you'd change your mind on that. If for example had a brother with schizophrenia as I do.

These people however were just gamers for the evidence provided in the story.

[Mooseman33]

this is where u and i disagree.

mentall illness is no exception to murder.

if someone cannot be charged because of their condidtion then thy have no business walking the streets.

[Kratos]

this is where u and i disagree.

mentall illness is no exception to murder.

if someone cannot be charged because of their condidtion then thy have no business walking the streets.

like I said, you don't have experience with this, so I don't even expect you to understand.

[Mooseman33]

just cause i dont talk about it does not mean i dont have anone in my family that is crazy or legally insane.
nor does it mean i dont have the experience to understand.

this is just where u and i disagree...

[Kratos]

just cause i dont talk about it does not mean i dont have anone in my family that is crazy or legally insane.
nor does it mean i dont have the experience to understand.

this is just where u and i disagree...

it's not an insult by any means

and yes I disagree

prision is not the place for the insane

what good does it do anybody?

[LatissimusaurousRex]

is the virtual baby ok?

[energizer bunny]

they should both be killed for letting that baby die!!!

[Kibble]

is the virtual baby ok?

lol you sir, are going to hell