On the Day Her 16-Month-Old Adopted Daughter Was Dying, the Mother Calmly Called a Taxi

Leaving Critically Ill Child at Home While Taking Biological Daughter to Daycare
CCTV Captured Signs of Assault Last July

Stepmother A, accused of abuse resulting in the death of a 16-month-old adopted child, is leaving the courthouse after a pre-arrest detention hearing at the Southern District Court in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 11th. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Ju-hyung] A stepmother accused of abusing a 16-month-old adopted child to the point of bruising the entire body, resulting in the child's death, has been arrested. Meanwhile, CCTV footage capturing A's calm demeanor at the time of the incident has been released.

On the 12th, Channel A reported that it obtained CCTV footage showing A appearing near a market while leaving the child at home on the day the adopted child died.

According to the footage aired, at around 10:30 a.m. on the 13th of last month, when the child passed away, A appeared at the market pushing a stroller with her biological first daughter. Wearing a hat and mask, A paused briefly in front of an underwear store before pushing the stroller out of the alley.

About 10 minutes later, A was seen pushing an empty stroller back home. She dropped off her biological daughter at a daycare center six minutes from her residence and then returned home.

It is reported that the child was in critical condition at that time. About 10 minutes later, at around 10:42 a.m., A left the house carrying the adopted child.

According to the broadcast, despite the child's critical condition, A called a taxi instead of an emergency 119 ambulance. Channel A interviewed the taxi driver who had A and her daughter as passengers, and it was reported that A calmly spoke on the phone even though the child's skin was turning blue.

The taxi driver repeatedly advised A that the situation seemed urgent and that she should call a 119 ambulance, but A reportedly called 119 and performed CPR on the child under the guidance of the paramedics.

On the morning of the 13th last month, when the child was in critical condition, A, who left the child at home and went out, was captured on closed-circuit television (CCTV). / Photo by Channel A capture

Afterwards, A took the child to a hospital in Mok-dong, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, but the child eventually passed away. When the child was brought to the hospital, there were severe injuries to the abdomen and brain. A claimed that "the child fell from the sofa onto a floor with a mat," but hospital staff suspected child abuse and reported it to the police.

Meanwhile, on the 11th, the Seoul Southern District Court conducted a pre-trial detention hearing for A and issued an arrest warrant, citing concerns about flight risk and evidence tampering.

A is accused of abusing the 16-month-old adopted child to death.

Police investigations revealed that A adopted the child in February with the intention of giving her biological daughter a same-gender sibling. However, starting one month after the adoption, A began abusing the child by leaving the child alone at home for extended periods or leaving the child in the underground parking lot when going out for family meals.

Twelve days before the child passed away, on the 1st of last month, Mr. A's family also appeared in an EBS documentary about adoptive families. / Photo by EBS broadcast capture

There were a total of three reports of abuse in May, but at that time, the police and child protection agencies did not find any signs of abuse and returned the child to A and her husband.

In July, CCTV footage captured scenes of A violently pushing the stroller against the elevator wall and grabbing the child's neck with her hand.

Meanwhile, A appeared in an EBS special documentary on adoptive families titled "An Ordinary Family" on the 1st of last month. The footage was reportedly made private after news of the child's death was announced.

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