"Not the Perpetrator" vs "Help with Investigation": What Do You Think About Revealing the Face of the 3-Year-Old Girl in Gumi?

Gumi 3-Year-Old Girl's Face Revealed Before Death
"Was It Necessary to Disclose?" vs "Will Increase Tips for Investigation"
Expert: "Revealing Victim's Face Is Necessary... But Perpetrator's Identity Should Be Disclosed First"

On the 11th, the maternal grandmother, identified as the biological mother of a 3-year-old girl who was found dead in Gumi, Gyeongbuk, is entering the Daegu District Court Gimcheon Branch for a detention warrant hearing.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] "Why reveal the child's face?", "Seeing the child's photo makes my heart ache even more."

The face of a 3-year-old girl who was found dead in a villa in Gumi, Gyeongbuk, has been revealed, sparking a heated debate among netizens. While some argue that releasing the photo is inappropriate to protect the rights of the victim child, others hope that the disclosure will help advance the investigation. Experts point out that revealing the identity of the perpetrator should be prioritized to resolve the case.

Earlier, on the 10th of last month, a 3-year-old girl was found dead in a villa in Sangmo Sagok-dong, Gumi City, Gyeongbuk. The child's body was discovered by her maternal grandmother living on the floor below and reported to the police.

At the time, the older sister Kim (22), who was believed to be the biological mother, told the police, "I separated from the biological father a long time ago and found it hard to raise the child alone, so I left the child in the villa and left," adding, "I didn't want to see the child because she was born from my ex-husband."

However, DNA testing by the National Forensic Service revealed that the biological mother was not Kim but the maternal grandmother Seok (48), who lived downstairs. It was also found that Kim was unaware of this fact and had been raising the victim child.

The police suspect that Seok secretly swapped the child with her daughter's child, who was born around the same time, and applied charges of abducting a minor, arresting her on the 11th. However, since her arrest, Seok has consistently denied the crime, claiming she never gave birth to a daughter.

In this regard, MBC's 'True Story Exploration Team' posted a video titled "Waiting for tips on the Gumi 3-year-old girl case" on their YouTube channel on the 12th, revealing photos of the child when she was alive.

The video included the child's memorial photo as well as videos and pictures of her during her lifetime. Notably, there was footage of Kim, initially believed to be the mother, happily playing with the child.

Along with the video, the True Story Exploration Team requested, "If anyone knows about the child born on March 30, 2018, at a maternity hospital in Gumi, or about Seok, who was known as the child's maternal grandmother but was revealed by DNA to be the biological mother, please contact us."

Photo by Mom Cafe screen capture.

This sparked criticism on various online communities and mom cafes, arguing that revealing the victim child's face was an inappropriate measure. They said it failed to protect the victim child's rights and that releasing the photos led netizens to judge the child by appearance, obscuring the essence of the case.

One netizen in a Ulsan mom cafe asked, "Did the child's face really have to be revealed?" and added, "If you want to receive tips, shouldn't you reveal the perpetrator's face? Seeing the child's face makes me even sadder, like in the Jeong-in case."

In a Daegu mom cafe, another netizen said, "The perpetrators make me angry, but I'm also fed up with a society that only reveals the victim's face," and criticized, "Does a dead child have no rights? If it's to find the biological father, shouldn't the biological mother's face be revealed instead of the dead child's?"

They continued, "How can they find the biological father without revealing the perpetrators' identities? The flower-like child who lived a short life without even a birth registration is so pitiful," expressing sorrow, "She was the same age as my daughter, and it breaks my heart."

On the 11th, the maternal grandmother, identified as the biological mother of a 3-year-old girl who was found dead in Gumi, Gyeongbuk, is entering the Daegu District Court Gimcheon Branch for a detention warrant hearing.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the other hand, some argued that releasing the victim child's photos could aid the investigation. In the so-called 'Jeong-in case,' where a child died due to abuse after adoption, many tips poured in after the victim child's face was revealed.

Office worker Kim (29) said, "Seeing the victim child's photo makes us realize how brutal this crime is. Also, although the perpetrator's face was not revealed in the Jeong-in case, revealing Jeong-in's face increased public outrage and interest in child abuse. I also remember that tips came in much more than before the disclosure."

The Korea Child Abuse Prevention Association, which ran the 'Sorry Jeong-in' challenge, shared the 'True Story Exploration Team' video on an online cafe, urging the resolution of the case.

Experts emphasized that revealing the perpetrators' identities should come first to solve this case. Gong Hyejeong, president of the Korea Child Abuse Prevention Association, said, "One reason for revealing the victim child's face is because of the perpetrators. They want the traces of their crimes to disappear," adding, "Especially in this case, it is nothing short of a mystery. Therefore, to solve the case, the perpetrator's face must be revealed. However, in Korea, revealing the perpetrator's identity is avoided. There has never been a case where the perpetrator's identity was revealed in a child abuse murder case."

President Gong continued, "In other countries, the identities of child abusers are disclosed. It is incomprehensible to prioritize protecting perpetrators' rights over the public's right to know and safety. Revealing perpetrators' information can lead to tips about the case."

He added, "Our association also reveals the faces of children who died from child abuse at home, including Jeong-in. The reason is that we want there to be traces that these children came to this world. We must remember these children's short lives, even if it is just us."

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