Crocodile Tears? Biological Mother Wept Throughout Trial, Appeals Verdict Discontentedly

Cried Throughout the Trial
Appealed Immediately the Day After the First Trial Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] “Even if I become free, I will be tormented by guilt for life...”

This is one sentence from the summary of the verdict read by the court just before delivering the first trial sentence to a mother standing trial for killing her two elementary school-aged sons after suffering from financial hardship.

Judge Kim Dong-hyun of the 14th Criminal Division at the Seoul Southern District Court said in the first trial sentencing of Kim, who was charged with murder, “The guilt of having killed my own children with my own hands and being the only one left alive will weigh on the defendant more heavily and painfully than any punishment.”

Kim is 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, Kim, who had been raising her two sons alone after separating from her husband, had been living on the salary sent by her husband. However, when her husband was fired from his job, she became anxious, fearing that her residence would be seized.

During the prosecution’s investigation, Kim reportedly stated that she committed the crime thinking that if she and her children died, her husband and in-laws would suffer. Kim did not stop crying throughout the trial. She sobbed with her head bowed deeply both when the prosecutor read the charges and when the judge asked if she admitted to the charges.

The court criticized, “A human being is an independent individual from the moment of birth, and even the parents do not have any right over the life or death of the child. They only have the responsibility to protect and nurture the child until they grow into adults. This case is nothing but a ‘child murder followed by attempted suicide’ incident carried out unilaterally by the defendant without any consultation or explanation to the children, who were young.”

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

The sentence given to Kim was 20 years in prison, which is a lighter punishment than the life sentence requested by the prosecution. The court explained the sentencing by saying, “Kim must have had many hardships raising the children alone while relying on her husband’s income. Considering that she killed the children she gave birth to and raised with great effort with her own hands and even attempted suicide herself, it is easy to imagine that her anxiety and despair were truly significant.”

However, Kim filed an appeal on the 21st, the day after the first trial sentence, rejecting the court’s decision. The prosecution also confirmed that it filed an appeal on the 22nd.

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