'9-Year-Old Locked in Suitcase and Murdered' Cheonan Stepmother, Appeal Trial Starts Today

Defendant Seong Mo heading to court in the Cheonan bag murder case.
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Seul-gi] The first appeal trial of a woman in her 40s, who was sentenced to 22 years in prison for locking her cohabiting partner's 9-year-old son in a travel bag for over 10 hours, resulting in his death, will begin on the 18th in Cheonan, Chungnam.

The Criminal Division 1 of Daejeon High Court (Presiding Judge Lee Jun-myeong) will hold the first appeal trial of defendant Sung Mo (41) on charges of murder, habitual child abuse under the Child Welfare Act, and special injury at courtroom 316 in the afternoon.

On June 1 around noon, Sung confined B, her cohabiting partner's son, in a travel bag measuring 50cm wide, 71.5cm long, and 29cm deep at her home in Cheonan for about 3 hours.

She then confined him again for nearly 4 hours in a smaller bag measuring 44cm wide, 60cm long, and 24cm deep, which ultimately led to his death.

The prosecution stated that Sung did not take active rescue measures for the victim, whose movements inside the bag had decreased, despite stepping on the bag or blowing hot air from a hairdryer into it, and sought life imprisonment in the first trial.

The prosecution argued, "If rescue had been performed when the child took out his fingers between the bags saying he couldn't breathe, or when no breath was heard from the child, or if the report had been made when the biological son urged to call 119 ten times, the child could have been saved," emphasizing the malicious and cruel nature of Sung's crime.

On September 1, the Criminal Division 1 of Daejeon District Court Cheonan Branch (Presiding Judge Chae Dae-won), which handled the first trial, sentenced Sung to 22 years in prison, stating, "There is not even a trace of sympathy for the child, only anger."

In response, the defendant's side reportedly appealed, arguing the intent to kill should be reconsidered and citing unfair sentencing as reasons.

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