"No Record of Childbirth" 3-Year-Old Mother's Sentencing Today in 'Gumi Girl Murder Case'

Prosecution Seeks 13-Year Prison Sentence for Seok... Court's Decision Pending

On the afternoon of March 17, Seok Mo, the biological mother of a 3-year-old girl who died, was being transported in a police vehicle at the Gumi Police Station in Gyeongbuk. The police added charges of attempted corpse abandonment to the existing charge of abducting a minor and sent her to the prosecution.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] The verdict for Seok Mo (48), the biological mother of the 3-year-old girl from Gumi, Gyeongbuk, whose case drew nationwide attention due to allegations of so-called 'child swapping,' will be announced on the 17th.

The Gimcheon Branch of Daegu District Court announced that it will hold the first trial sentencing hearing at 2 p.m. on the same day for Seok, who was indicted on charges of abducting a minor and attempted concealment of a corpse.

Seok was initially known as the maternal grandmother of the deceased girl found in a villa in Gumi, Gyeongbuk. However, during the police investigation, it was revealed that Seok's daughter Kim Mo (22) and the deceased girl were not biologically related. Genetic testing confirmed that the deceased girl was actually Seok's biological daughter, not Kim's.

The prosecution believes that between late March and early April 2018, at an obstetrics clinic in Gumi, Seok swapped the babies born to her biological daughter Kim and herself, abducting Kim's child. Seok's child was left unattended in an empty house after Kim moved out in early August last year, died in mid-August, and was found as a corpse on February 10 of this year.

On the afternoon of March 17, Seok Mo, the biological mother of a 3-year-old girl who died, is being transported in a police vehicle at the Gumi Police Station in Gyeongbuk.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

At the sentencing hearing held on the 13th of last month at the Criminal Division 2 of the Gimcheon Branch of Daegu District Court (Judge Seo Cheong-woon), the prosecution demanded a 13-year prison sentence, stating, "The defendant's crime is extremely inhumane and the nature of the crime is severe. Since the whereabouts of the abducted child were not disclosed and the method of the crime shocked many people, a severe punishment should be imposed."

The prosecution pointed out, "If the child left unattended in the empty house had not been found dead, the defendant would have hidden the crime for life," and added, "The defendant shows no remorse and continues to deny the crime."

Seok's defense still denies the charges of childbirth and swapping the children. The defense emphasized, "It is impossible to swap her own daughter with her eldest daughter's child," and stated, "The defendant did not give birth, and no one knows about the swapping of the child," acknowledging only the charge of attempted concealment of a corpse.

Earlier, on February 10 at around 3 p.m., the 3-year-old girl found dead in a villa in Gumi, Gyeongbuk, was discovered in a state of partial mummification due to severe decomposition of internal organs and body, making it difficult to determine the exact cause of death.

Meanwhile, Kim, the older sister who was indicted for leaving the 3-year-old girl alone in the empty house leading to her death, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in the first trial and has appealed the verdict.

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