South Korean Siblings Trialed for Drugging Father, Stealing Millions in Loans

A teenage brother and sister face trial for allegedly drugging their father with sleeping pills and stealing his phone to secure loans amounting to tens of millions of Korean won. The siblings are accused of administering a prescription sleeping pill mixed into their father's coffee at a hospital, then stealing his mobile phone while he was deeply asleep.

Prosecutors allege that the siblings used the stolen phone to take out loans totaling 31 million won and withdrew a total of 42 million won from their father's accounts. They reportedly spent the money on personal expenses, including skincare treatments. The father, identified as C (47), discovered the crime upon waking and realizing his children were not present, prompting him to report them missing.

Police apprehended the siblings within a day of the report. Initially, only the boyfriend of the sister, identified as B (18), was charged with fraud. However, during the investigation, B revealed the sister's involvement. When confronted, the siblings denied their participation, and the case was initially closed without further investigation.

The full extent of the siblings' alleged involvement only came to light during a supplementary investigation by the Ulsan District Prosecutors' Office. In November of the previous year, prosecutors brought the three individuals together for a face-to-face interrogation, during which the brother and sister confessed. The prosecution determined that incapacitating the father with sleeping pills constituted robbery, not just fraud, leading to the charges against the siblings.