'Gumi 3-year-old girl' biological mother sentenced to 8 years vs biological sister sentenced to 20 years, reason for sentencing difference?

Charges with Admitted Guilt Differ

Regarding the death of a 3-year-old girl in Gumi, Gyeongbuk, the girl's biological mother, Seok Mo (48), is arriving at the Daegu District Court Gimcheon Branch on the 17th to attend the first trial sentencing hearing. /Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Interest is focused on the significant difference in sentencing between the biological older sister and biological mother in the first trial of the case involving a 3-year-old girl in Gumi, Gyeongbuk, who was under CMS management.

Earlier, on the 17th, Judge Seo Cheong-woon of the Criminal Division 2 at Gimcheon Branch of Daegu District Court sentenced Seok (48), who was indicted on charges of abducting a minor and attempting to conceal a corpse, to 8 years in prison in the first trial.

On the other hand, Kim (22), who was charged with neglecting her younger sister, whom she raised as her own daughter, leading to her death (including murder), was sentenced to 20 years in prison by the Criminal Division of Gimcheon Branch of Daegu District Court (Chief Judge Lee Yun-ho) in June and has appealed.

The reason for this sentencing gap is that the charges recognized as guilty differ. Seok, the biological mother of the 3-year-old girl found dead in a villa in Gumi, Gyeongbuk, last February, was indicted for abducting and luring a minor, while the biological older sister Kim was tried on murder charges.

Relationship diagram of the Gumi 3-year-old girl's death case. / Photo by Yonhap News

This case initially drew strong public criticism against Kim for neglecting her young daughter leading to death, but it took a turn when genetic testing revealed that the deceased girl was Seok’s daughter. It was revealed that Seok had secretly given birth to the daughter and swapped her, and she also pretended to be the maternal grandmother, causing shock.

After the case became known, people expected Seok to receive punishment comparable to Kim’s, as she was considered the initial cause related to the child’s death.

However, the court judged that the cause of the child’s death was due to Kim’s neglect, recognized Kim’s murder charges as guilty, and imposed a heavier responsibility by sentencing her to 20 years in prison.

In contrast, the court acknowledged all of Seok’s charges of swapping the child and attempting to conceal the girl’s corpse as guilty, but did not hold her responsible for the death. The investigation authorities were unable to determine the whereabouts of Kim’s missing child, which prevented additional punishment, and this became the main reason for the large difference in sentencing between the two.

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