15-Month-Old Daughter Neglected to Death, Parents Sent to Prosecution for Abandoning the Body

Police Apply Child Abuse Resulting in Death Charge... "Concealment Due to Fear of Punishment"

On the 6th, at the Uijeongbu District Court in Ganeung-dong, Uijeongbu-si, Gyeonggi-do, Seo Mo (34), the biological mother who neglected her 15-month-old daughter causing her death and concealed the crime for three years by storing the body in kimchi containers, is seen listening to reporters' questions ahead of the pre-arrest interrogation.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] The biological mother and her accomplice, the ex-husband, who were arrested on charges of neglecting their 15-month-old daughter to death and abandoning the body in a kimchi container for over two years, were handed over to the prosecution on the 13th.

According to Yonhap News, the Pocheon Police Station in Gyeonggi Province announced that they transferred Seo (34), the biological mother accused of child abuse resulting in death, violation of the Child Welfare Act, and concealment of a corpse, and Choi (29), the biological father and ex-husband accused of concealment of a corpse, to the Uijeongbu District Prosecutors' Office on the morning of the same day.

Seo is suspected of neglecting her 15-month-old daughter to death at their home in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, in early January 2020, and subsequently abandoning the body for about three years.

It is reported that Seo’s daughter showed symptoms of fever and vomiting about a week before her death, but Seo did not seek medical treatment or take any measures, which ultimately led to the child’s death.

Seo is also accused of repeatedly neglecting and abandoning her daughter, who was around one year old, by going out about 70 times from August 2019 until the daughter’s death, while visiting Choi, who was serving a prison sentence.

During the police investigation, Seo reportedly stated that she was afraid of being punished for neglecting her child to death and therefore did not report the incident. The police explained that this indicates Seo was already aware of her criminal actions.

However, despite an autopsy and detailed analysis by the National Forensic Service (NFS), the exact cause of death was not determined. According to Yonhap News, the NFS responded to the police that "the cause of death cannot be determined due to decomposition." The autopsy also revealed a hole in the skull, which is presumed to have occurred postmortem based on its appearance.

The ex-husband, Choi, is accused of moving the daughter’s body into a kimchi container and abandoning it on the rooftop of his family villa located in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, after his release from prison. He is also charged with fraudulently receiving 3 million won in child-rearing allowances and other benefits after the daughter’s death (violation of the Act on the Use and Provision of Social Security Benefits and the Discovery of Beneficiaries). The biological mother, Seo, is also charged with fraudulently receiving 3.3 million won in child-rearing allowances and other benefits.

Earlier, the Pocheon City authorities discovered the child’s disappearance and first reported it to the police on October 27. Following the police investigation, the horrific crimes committed by the biological parents were uncovered after about a month and a half.

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