'16-Month-Old Adopted Child Death Case' Foster Family in Tears: "Sorry for Finding Out Too Late"

Korean Child Abuse Prevention Association Delivers Protest Letter to Yangcheon Police Station in Seoul on the 16th Afternoon
"Only Ordinary Citizens Feel Anger Over Child's Death and Seek the Truth"
Criticism Directed at Police Amid Investigation Failures and Child Protection Agencies

At around 1:20 PM on the 16th, members of the Korea Child Abuse Prevention Association and ordinary citizens condemned the police's negligent initial response to the death of a 16-month-old adopted child in front of the Yangcheon Police Station in Seoul.
Photo by Byungdon Yoo tamond@

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] “The child clung to me tightly and wouldn’t let go...”

A group strongly condemning the police’s initial response gathered over the death of a 16-month-old infant who died less than a year after being adopted.

The Korea Child Abuse Prevention Association held a press conference related to the death of the 16-month-old adopted child at around 1:20 p.m. on the 16th in front of the Yangcheon Police Station in Seoul and delivered a letter of protest to the police. About 20 people, including members of the Korea Child Abuse Prevention Association and ordinary citizens, attended the press conference, criticizing the police’s inadequate investigation and urging strict punishment for the adoptive parents identified as perpetrators.

Foster Family: “We never dreamed they were devils in the guise of angels”

The mother and daughter from the foster family where the child lived for about nine months before adoption also attended the event. Shin (62), from the foster family, who stood there wearing a mask, said, “The adoptive parents looked like angels when I first saw them,” adding, “How could I have suspected abuse when I saw them even paying attention to the fabric of the clothes, thinking it might be bad for the child’s skin?” Shin continued, “Hearing the adoptive parents say they prayed for days to adopt the child, I thought they were truly good parents,” and added, “I always boasted to people around me that the child was adopted into a good place, so it is heartbreaking to realize they were such bad people.”

Shin’s daughter, Kim Yeon-kyung (38), also said, “I am so sorry to the child for realizing the abuse too late,” and wept, “I cannot understand how they could abuse the child like that and live normally without any remorse.” Kim added, “The adoptive mother has been detained, but the adoptive father was only charged with neglect and has not even been detained,” demanding that the adoptive father also be subjected to detention investigation. Holding another foster child in her arms, Kim was unable to hold back tears throughout the press conference.

At around 1:20 PM on the 16th, foster family members attending the protest letter delivery press conference held by the Korea Child Abuse Prevention Association in front of the Yangcheon Police Station in Seoul regarding the death of a 16-month-old adopted child were sobbing while urging severe punishment for the adoptive parents. Photo by Byungdon Yoo tamond@

Child Abuse Prevention Association: “Mourning the little angel... How long will this repeat?”

Before the foster family representatives, Bae Moon-sang, a member of the Child Abuse Prevention Association, strongly criticized the inadequate responses of the related institutions involved in this case. Bae said, “I was horrified by the adoptive parents’ horrific abuse and their incomprehensible behavior after the baby’s death,” and claimed, “If the related institutions had actively intervened to protect the baby, the child would have been living happily with a bright smile.”

Bae continued, “It is very lamentable that the people who are angry about the baby’s death and are deeply interested in uncovering the truth are ordinary citizens, not the adoptive parents or related institutions,” raising his voice, “More than 30,000 cases of child abuse occurred last year alone. I want to ask the police and related institutions how long children must continue to suffer and die.”

Perpetrator mother detained, father under non-custodial investigation... Inadequate response by related institutions under scrutiny

The Child Abuse Prevention Association pointed out that not only the police but also the child protection agencies and adoption agencies mishandled the case. A representative of the association said about the child protection agency, “Although the victim child was an infant who could not express themselves, they relied solely on the adoptive parents’ false statements to judge whether abuse occurred,” emphasizing, “Despite multiple reports of suspected abuse and confirmation of several suspicious circumstances, they neglected to conduct active on-site investigations.”

Regarding the adoption agency, they criticized, “They did not utilize the pre-adoption temporary custody system called ‘temporary delivery’ before adoption, and even after discovering signs of abuse, they only attempted 20 phone calls and did not report or relay the information to investigative agencies, citing failure to connect as the reason,” adding, “They even failed to inform the biological parents after the baby’s death.”

At around 1:20 PM on the 16th, Mr. Bae Munsang read a statement condemning the complacent response of related agencies during a press conference held by the Korea Child Abuse Prevention Association in front of the Yangcheon Police Station in Seoul regarding the death of a 16-month-old adopted child.
Photo by Yoo Byungdon tamond@

Meanwhile, on the 11th, Judge Sung Bo-gi, head of the warrant division at the Seoul Southern District Court, conducted a pre-trial detention hearing for the adoptive mother, Jang, who is accused of child abuse resulting in death, and issued a detention warrant citing concerns of flight risk and evidence tampering. Jang adopted the victim child with the intention of giving her biological daughter a sibling but is accused of neglect and abuse starting one month after adoption.

The issuance of the detention warrant for Jang indicates that a significant part of the charges has been substantiated, but the prosecution has not yet transferred the case. Considering that prosecution transfer usually occurs within a week after the detention warrant is issued, it is expected that the adoptive father’s charges will also be confirmed and both will be transferred together. Following criticism of the inadequate initial response, the police have registered the adoptive parents as suspects and investigated whether there was abuse such as assault prior to the child’s death, reportedly confirming some charges against them.

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