Heavy Sentences Upheld on Appeal for Couple in Their 20s Who Neglected and Abandoned Newborn After Birth at Motel

Charged with Child Abuse Resulting in Death of 67-Day-Old Infant
Body Abandoned in Pile of Trash Inside Room After Death

Exterior view of Gwangju High Court.

A couple in their twenties who abandoned their newborn, resulting in the infant's death after giving birth at a lodging facility and then disposed of the body in a pile of trash, have received heavy sentences again on appeal.

The Criminal Division 2 of the Gwangju High Court (Presiding Judge Hwang Jinhee) on April 7 sentenced the biological father, Mr. A (29), and the biological mother, Ms. B (22), each to seven years in prison in the appellate trial for violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes (Resulting in Death) and for abandoning a corpse.

The couple, who were in a romantic relationship, stood trial on charges of giving birth to a baby at a lodging facility in Mokpo, South Jeolla Province, between June and July last year and causing the baby's death 67 days after birth. It was revealed that even after the baby's death, they left the body in a pile of garbage inside the room for more than ten days, shocking the public.

Investigations showed that after giving birth, they not only failed to register the birth, but also did not take any minimum medical measures such as vaccinations or essential checkups. The infant, irresponsibly neglected in extremely unsanitary conditions, ultimately died after a very short life.

The court of first instance had previously stated, "There was an opportunity to provide care during the approximately two months leading up to the death, but they neglected the infant, resulting in death, and abandoned the body to the extent that it became infested with insects and was damaged," and handed down prison sentences. The appellate court also dismissed all appeals from both the defendants and the prosecution, ruling that the sentences handed down in the original trial were appropriate.

However, the appellate court did overturn the original ruling for the biological father, Mr. A, on the grounds of a legal misunderstanding, but maintained the seven-year prison sentence considering the gravity of the crime. In addition, both were ordered to complete 40 hours of a child abuse treatment program and were banned from employment at child-related institutions for five years.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.