Biological Father Denies Charges After Appearing for First Time in 1 Year and 7 Months... Trial Resumes in Daughter's Abandonment and Death Case

Biological Mother Admits Charges... "I Will Accept the Punishment"
Dispute Between Both Sides Over the Credibility of the Biological Mother's Testimony

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] The biological father, who was charged with neglecting his two-month-old daughter leading to her death and had gone missing, fully denied the charges at the retrial held after one year and seven months. This stance was in contrast to the biological mother, who admitted to the charges of neglect causing the child's death.

The Criminal Division 13 of the Seoul Southern District Court (Presiding Judge Lee Sang-joo) held a trial session for the biological father Kim (44) and biological mother Jo (42), who were charged with abandonment resulting in death.

At the trial, Kim’s defense attorney denied the charges, stating, "He never abused or neglected the victim."

On the other hand, Jo’s defense attorney said, "We acknowledge all the facts stated in the indictment. However, we would like to receive a legal judgment on whether joint principal offenders apply."

The couple was accused of neglecting their two-month-old daughter, born in October 2010, leading to her death and abandoning the body. Since the birth was not registered, the child did not legally exist on paper, and no one knew about the death until Jo, who had been living separately from her husband since 2016, turned herself in to the police in 2017, bringing the case to light.

Jo testified that after the baby died, she wrapped the body in packaging material, placed it in a wooden box with soil, sealed it, and kept it at home. She also claimed that Kim later disposed of the baby’s body, but the remains were never found.

The prosecution referred Kim and Jo to trial without detention in January 2019, seeking five years imprisonment for Kim and three years imprisonment with five years probation for Jo. However, Kim did not attend the sentencing hearings, which were postponed three times, and his whereabouts remained unknown.

After about one year and six months, on the 21st of last month, Kim called the police from a street in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, revealing that he was a wanted person, and was arrested by officers who arrived at the scene.

Kim, who appeared in court under detention, said, "I will approach this trial with the mindset of starting over, and I will thoroughly clarify what is true and how things have been distorted."

Meanwhile, Jo stated, "I turned myself in to accept my punishment, so I have no other opinions and am prepared to face the consequences."

The court defined the key issue of the trial as the "credibility of Jo’s testimony," since there is no direct evidence other than her statements.

The prosecution argued, "Jo’s testimony is detailed and no falsehoods have been confirmed. She has no motive to lie."

In response, Kim’s defense attorney countered, "It is hard to believe that instead of burying the body, they made a wooden coffin sealed with silicone and wrapped in sheet material. Above all, Jo claims to have kept the wooden coffin for six years and even moved houses during that time, which is difficult to accept."

The court ordered the prosecution to prepare evidence supporting Jo’s testimony and to prepare for the next hearing. The next trial session is scheduled for 11 a.m. on the 6th of next month.

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