A nine-year-old Chinese national, who was presumably on holiday with his father on Jeju Island, was allegedly abandoned by his father in August.

The father, who is in his 30s, has been charged with violating the Child Welfare Act in South Korea, reported The Korea Times on Friday, citing the Jeju District Prosecutors’ Office.

Both father and son were not named in local media reports.

On Aug 14, the pair arrived at the island on tourist visas, reported The Korea Times.

They stayed at a hotel on the island for three days, but slept outdoors after running out of money, according to Korea JoongAng Daily.

The father is said to have left the boy, who was sleeping at the time, in a park in Seogwipo, the second-largest city on Jeju Island, on Aug 25.

The boy later woke up and tried to look for his father, reported The Korea Times. A Seogwipo city official found the boy in the park and alerted the police.

The boy’s father had left a note in English on the boy that read: “I hope that my child will live in a good facility in Korea.”

The father was arrested the day after he allegedly left the boy, after the authorities used closed-circuit television footage to locate him.

The boy was placed in a child protection facility on the island, said Korea JoongAng Daily. He has since returned to China and has been reunited with his relatives.