Child abuse cases uncovered by police in the first half of this year rose 14.3 percent over the same period last year to a record of 120, the National Police Agency said Thursday.

"Public awareness about child abuse prevention has grown with the revision of the law. This has brought to light cases of abuse that were previously unnoticed and led more cases to be exposed by police," the NPA claimed.

Between January and June, the number of people either arrested or handed over to prosecutors for child abuse totaled 131, up 12.9 percent, while the number of victims came to 128, up 18.5 percent, the NPA said.