Moon's Order on 'Post-Adoption Child Management'... Opposition Party Says "The Problem Is Child Abuse"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] After President Moon Jae-in ordered "post-adoption management" in response to the 'Jung In case,' where an adopted child was abused to death, the opposition criticized, saying "the real issue is child abuse."

On the 5th, Kim Mi-ae, a member of the People Power Party, pointed out on Facebook, "I am outraged by the president's superficial perception of the Jung In case."

Kim, who is also a single mother lawyer raising an adopted child, said, "The essence of the Jung In case is how to eradicate child abuse within the family," adding, "It is about whether legal and public institutions such as the police investigating child abuse cases and child protection agencies managing abused children have fulfilled their roles, whether private adoption agencies responsible for post-adoption management have done their part, and whether there are justifiable reasons for any failure to perform these functions. If so, these must be improved to root out child abuse." She emphasized that the problem cannot be solved by post-adoption management alone.

She criticized, "According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare's 2019 report on types of child abuse perpetrators, biological parents account for 72.3%, while adoptive parents account for 0.3%," and said, "As an adoptive family member, I am outraged by the president's perception that 'thorough post-adoption management' is the key measure."

Kim questioned, "Is creating an adoption liaison committee and making post-adoption management a public institution really a solution?" and asked, "Have public institutions like the police and child protection agencies fulfilled their roles?"

Lee Hye-hoon, a former People Power Party lawmaker who declared her candidacy for Seoul mayor, also said, "(Post-adoption management) is certainly necessary," but pointed out, "However, police reform must be carried out simultaneously to create a thorough safety net."

She emphasized, "While the police's inadequate response must be corrected, the bigger problem is that amateur officers, who are rotated every 1-2 years in child abuse investigations requiring high expertise, are in charge, leading to unqualified handling that harms people," adding, "Entrusting amateurs to uncover abuse facts is tantamount to covering up child abuse."

Lee said, "Although this necessity has been raised for a long time, it has not been implemented due to low priority within the police. I ask the president to give direct instructions on this matter," and added, "If I become mayor of Seoul, I will make the city's dedicated child abuse investigation team a more thorough safety net, which can be considered one of the two pillars of child abuse investigations along with the police."

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