Cheonan: A court on Tuesday held an arrest warrant hearing for a woman accused of fatally abusing her 11-year-old grandson. The woman is charged with physically abusing and neglecting her grandson, leading to his death at a hospital in Cheonan, located approximately 80 kilometers south of Seoul, last week. Hospital staff alerted the police after discovering signs of abuse on the boy's body.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the woman did not respond to reporters' questions as she appeared at the Cheonan branch of the Daejeon District Court. The court is expected to decide whether to issue a warrant for her arrest later Tuesday at the earliest. Police investigators suspect that the woman repeatedly abused her grandson, who lived separately from her at a church.

Just three days before his death, the boy had approached a police station to report that his grandmother had beaten him. Authorities had previously sought a temporary restraining order against the woman after receiving reports of abuse, but a court dismissed the request.