"In Cold Earth Instead of Parents' Arms"... Suspect in Seongbuk-gu Infant Abandonment Case Remains 'Elusive'

Infant Abandonment Case in a Hillside Near Kookmin University, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul
No CCTV Covering the Scene, Investigation Faces Difficulties
Awaiting National Forensic Service Autopsy Results
If Stillborn, Application of Charges Remains Uncertain

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] On the 4th, the body of an infant was found at the entrance of a hiking trail on a mountain near Kookmin University in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul. It was a baby boy who appeared to have been born not long ago. Instead of being in the arms of his parents, the child was wrapped in plastic and buried in the cold ground. The body was discovered by a hiker passing nearby and brought outside. The identity of the person who abandoned the child has not yet been confirmed.

The Seongbuk Police Department, which is investigating the case, is tracking suspects but has not yet found any clear leads. There is no CCTV directly covering the location where the body was found. The police are currently collecting and analyzing CCTV footage installed near the hiking trail. In addition, they are focusing on identifying the infant and tracking suspects using various methods. The infant’s body was sent to the National Forensic Service on the 8th of this month for an autopsy. The autopsy results have not yet been released.

Infant abandonment is considered one of the difficult crimes to investigate because tracking suspects is challenging. Usually, the infant is too young to have fingerprints registered, making identification difficult. In many cases, the cause of death is unclear due to the state of decomposition. Therefore, CCTV near the abandonment site becomes a key clue, and without it, investigations inevitably become prolonged.

In fact, in a case where a biological mother was arrested on the 20th for abandoning an infant’s body at Jamsil Hangang Park riverside, it took eight months just to identify and arrest her. That case also faced difficulties because there was no CCTV covering the scene, and the body was too decomposed to determine the cause of death, complicating the investigation.

Even if a suspect is found, there is another issue. If the baby was born dead at delivery, i.e., a 'stillborn infant,' it is difficult to apply charges. Under current law, for charges such as corpse abandonment or infanticide to be established, the baby must have been alive during or immediately after delivery. According to Korean criminal law and precedents, the 'birth opening theory' considers the fetus a legal person from the moment the mother experiences labor pains and delivery begins. Therefore, if the baby was stillborn, it is difficult to prosecute for infanticide or corpse abandonment. A baby born dead is regarded as not yet born. This is also why intentionally causing the fetus to die during pregnancy is separately punished as 'abortion.'

A police official said, "Since the National Forensic Service autopsy results have not yet been released, the cause of death and exact age of the infant remain unclear," adding, "We are conducting a multifaceted investigation along with CCTV analysis."

Infant abandonment cases have not been decreasing. According to police statistics, infant abandonment crimes have steadily increased from 41 cases in 2015 to 109 in 2016, 168 in 2017, and 183 in 2018.

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