‘Gumi 3-year-old girl’ case biological mother Seok Mo, denies 'baby swapping' in first trial... admits attempted corpse concealment charge

On the morning of the 11th of last month, the maternal grandmother, identified as the biological mother of a 3-year-old girl who died in Gumi, Gyeongbuk, entered the Daegu District Court Gimcheon Branch to undergo a pre-arrest suspect interrogation (warrant hearing).
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] In the ‘Gumi 3-year-old girl death’ case, Seok (48), identified as the biological mother of the deceased girl, denied the charge of child swapping at the first trial.

At the trial held on the 22nd under the presiding of Judge Seo Cheong-woon of the Criminal Division 2 at Gimcheon Branch of Daegu District Court, Seok’s lawyer stated, "The defendant partially denies the charges including the abduction of a minor as stated in the indictment by the prosecution."

The lawyer argued, "We deny the part of the indictment that claims Seok practically abducted a minor from around March to May 2018," adding, "On that premise, the fact of childbirth itself did not occur."

However, the lawyer said, "We fully admit to the attempted concealment of a corpse."

In court that day, Seok showed a calm demeanor, nodding in response to the judge’s questions confirming personal details such as date of birth and address.

When asked by the judge whether she would appoint a private attorney in addition to the public defender after her previously appointed lawyer resigned, Seok replied, "No."

Attorney Yoo Neung-jong, who had submitted a power of attorney and a statement regarding Seok’s case, suddenly resigned on the 14th without clearly stating the reason, saying, "I have decided to resign because I can no longer provide legal representation."

The newly appointed lawyer said that due to the late appointment, there was insufficient time to review the case and that they would express their position on evidence submission at the next hearing.

The court plans to hold a second trial on the 11th of next month to confirm Seok’s position on the evidence investigation.

Seok, initially known as the deceased girl’s maternal grandmother, was revealed to be the biological mother through DNA testing.

The prosecution arrested and indicted Seok on the 5th on charges of abducting a minor and attempted concealment of a corpse.

The prosecution believes that Seok swapped the child after giving birth around the same time as her daughter Kim (22).

However, Seok has consistently denied the charges, claiming she never gave birth to a child.

In future trials, key issues are expected to include the circumstances under which the children born to Seok and Kim at an obstetrics clinic in Gumi between late March and early April 2018 were swapped, the whereabouts of Kim’s child whom Seok allegedly took away, and the existence of accomplices who helped Seok commit the crime.

Meanwhile, after the trial, Seok’s lawyer said, "I have only met the defendant twice," and added, "I will do everything possible for the benefit of the defendant."

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