"Just a Case of Attempted Suicide After Killing Children"... Mother Who Killed Two Sons Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison

Court: "Humans Are Independent Individuals from the Moment of Birth"
"Parents Do Not Have the Right to Control Their Children's Life or Death"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] A woman in her 40s, accused of killing her two elementary school-aged sons due to financial hardship, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in the first trial.

The Criminal Division 14 of the Seoul Southern District Court (Presiding Judge Kim Dong-hyun) held the first trial sentencing hearing for Kim Mo, who is charged with murder, at 2:10 p.m. on the 20th and delivered this sentence. Along with this, a 10-year employment restriction in child-related institutions was also ordered.

The court stated, "Considering that the defendant killed the children she gave birth to and raised diligently with her own hands and even attempted suicide herself, it is fully imaginable that she must have felt considerable anxiety and despair," adding, "Even if she regains her freedom, she will likely suffer lifelong guilt for having killed her own children with her own hands while she alone survived. The court fully sympathizes that this will be a heavier and more painful punishment for the defendant than any other sentence."

However, the court criticized, "A human being is an independent individual from the moment of birth, and even the parents do not have any life-or-death authority over the child but only the responsibility to protect and nurture until the child grows into an adult," and added, "This case is nothing but a 'filicide followed by attempted suicide' incident carried out unilaterally by the defendant without any consultation or explanation to the children, who were young."

Furthermore, the court stated, "Although the defendant’s husband and in-laws have petitioned for leniency, just as the defendant has no decision-making authority over the lives of the children, neither the husband nor the in-laws have any decision-making authority over these children," and ruled, "The children, who were precious lives independent from the moment they were born, were deprived of their precious lives by the hands of their trusted mother without even having the chance to pursue their dreams or understand the reason. The defendant must be held responsible for this."

Kim was previously accused of strangling her two elementary school-aged sons to death in a multi-family house in Geumcheon-gu, Seoul, on the 5th of last month. After the crime, Kim attempted suicide three times but failed and then surrendered to the police.

According to the prosecution, after separating from her husband, Kim had been raising her two sons alone and was living on the salary sent by her husband. When her husband was dismissed from his job, she reportedly felt anxious, fearing that her residence would be seized.

During the prosecution investigation, Kim reportedly stated that she committed the crime thinking that her husband and in-laws would suffer if she and the children died.

During the trial, Kim’s defense attorney generally admitted the prosecution’s charges but denied the part that she committed the crime out of revenge against her husband.

At the sentencing hearing held on the 11th, the prosecution requested the court to sentence Kim to life imprisonment.

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