Newborn Baby with Umbilical Cord in Envelope... Suspended Sentence for 20s Man and Woman in Infant Abandonment Case

by Kim Yongu

Published 12 Aug.2023 12:15(KST)

Updated 06 Aug.2025 16:57(KST)

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Court: "Baby Survived but Parenting Conditions Are Not Suitable"

A couple in their 20s who abandoned a newborn baby with the umbilical cord still attached in a paper bag on the street (reported in the online edition of this newspaper on August 31, 2022) was sentenced to a suspended prison term.

The court judged that the newborn was alive and that they were unable to provide care.

The Busan District Court Seobu Branch Criminal Division 5 (Judge Lee Eun-hye) announced on the 12th that it sentenced Mr. A, a man in his 20s, and Ms. B, a woman in her 20s, who were indicted on charges of infant abandonment, to six months in prison with a one-year suspension.

The couple was tried for abandoning the newborn in a paper bag near a childcare center alley in Saha-gu, Busan, around 11 p.m. on August 29 of last year.

The police responded to a report on the afternoon of the 30th, the day after the abandonment, and transported the baby to a hospital, confirming that the newborn’s health condition was good.

According to the Saha Police Station, the cohabiting couple gave birth to the baby at their home in Changwon, wrapped the baby in a blanket, placed it in a paper bag, and took a taxi to Busan.

They abandoned the baby in an alley near a child care facility, and fortunately, the baby was found after neighbors heard crying and reported it.

The court judged that they committed the crime because they lacked the ability to raise the baby.

The court stated, “They abandoned the infant, neglecting parental responsibility and putting the baby in danger,” adding, “At the time of the incident, the man was about to enlist in the military, and there was no suitable family to help the defendants, so they were not capable of raising the infant.”