Supreme Court Review of the Jeong In Case... Foster Mother Also Hires 'Former Judge' Lawyer

On May 14 last year, people searching for Jeong-in held a protest rally in front of Seoul Southern Detention Center. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] It has been confirmed that Jang Mo (36), the adoptive mother accused of abusing and causing the death of 16-month-old adopted child Jeong In, who is awaiting a Supreme Court ruling, has appointed a 'former judge turned lawyer' who, like her husband, is a former judge.

According to the legal community on the 17th, Jang canceled the court-appointed public defender she had in January and hired Attorney A (19th Judicial Research and Training Institute class), a former judge with over 30 years of legal experience.

Attorney A initially participated in the trial only as the defense lawyer for the adoptive father, An Mo (38), but in the appeal trial, he is defending both spouses. Jang had been represented by a public defender up to the second trial. The Supreme Court has assigned the presiding justice and the panel and is currently reviewing the legal grounds for the appeal. No trial date has been set yet.

Previously, Jang was sentenced to life imprisonment in the first trial, but her sentence was significantly reduced to 35 years in the second trial. An was sentenced to five years in prison in both the first and second trials. The second trial court acknowledged Jang’s guilt for murder but explained the reason for the reduced sentence by stating, "It is difficult to consider that imposing life imprisonment, which permanently isolates the defendant from society, is appropriate in light of the principle of proportionality between punishment and crime." They also added, "Considering that CPR was performed while transporting Jeong In to the hospital, it cannot be inferred that the defendant intended or hoped for Jeong In’s death."

The Supreme Court appeal will mainly focus on reviewing the relevant legal principles, but it may also examine the facts or sentencing reasons considered by the second trial when determining Jang’s sentence. Under criminal procedure law, appeals can be made on grounds of factual error or improper sentencing when a sentence of 10 years or more is imposed.

Meanwhile, at 11 a.m. on the same day, the Korea Child Abuse Prevention Association (Daahyeop) announced that it would submit over 6,500 petitions to the Supreme Court urging severe punishment for the adoptive parents. The petitions and appeals submitted to the first and second trials and the Supreme Court so far are estimated to number in the hundreds of thousands, involving not only Daahyeop members but also various citizens. The court reportedly finds it difficult to tally the submissions due to the overwhelming volume.

Gong Hyejeong, the head of Daahyeop, said, "The Supreme Court trial date has not been set, and social interest seems to be fading." She added, "The previous ruling that reduced the sentence on the grounds of 'lack of premeditation and remorse' is unacceptable. This precedent has led to discussions about premeditation in other child abuse death cases as well." She continued, "This is not to say we will not respect the upcoming Supreme Court ruling, but we earnestly plead for the case to be reconsidered from the child’s perspective once again."

Jang was brought to trial in December 2020 on charges of repeatedly abusing Jeong In, whom she adopted from March to October 2020, leading to her death. An was also indicted for neglecting to prevent the abuse. At the time of death, Jeong In’s body was found with broken ribs and clavicles, and her pancreas was completely severed, according to investigations.

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