KOR-Existence of home camera discovered during supplementary investigation... not seen before
-Difficult for police to conduct meticulous investigation in arrest cases due to short time frame
-Prosecution investigator checked all 4,800 home camera videos
-Found sounds of biological mother's cursing and beating in video that looked like a still image
-Police did their best within the deadline, but cooperation with prosecution was inevitable
-Gwangju high school girl murder case (Jang Yoon-ki case) should have also had its initial investigation checked through supplementary investigation
-Investigation is a failure if it only identifies the suspect... punishment must be properly determined
-Criminal justice system will collapse if supplementary investigation rights are completely abolished
-Right to request supplementary investigations is not enough... reinvestigation within the period is impossible
-Difficult to judge solely based on records like statements, raising concerns of lax investigation
-Less than three months left until the opening of the Prosecution Office and the Serious Crime Investigation Office, but key parts remain undecided
-Atmosphere within prosecution? Confused, but calmly watching developments
-Police are strong in initial response, prosecution in details... both must be maintained
■ Broadcast: SBS Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show (FM 103.5 MHz 7:00 – 9:00 AM)
■ Date: Thursday, July 9, 2026
■ Host: Attorney Kim Tae-hyun
■ Guest: Jung Ah-reum, Prosecutor at the Ansan Branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office (Prosecutor in charge of the Haedeun-i case)
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: Recently, the controversy over the right to supplementary investigation has flared up again following the Jang Yoon-ki case. The truth of this case was also revealed through the prosecution's supplementary investigation: the Haedeun-i case. Let's meet the prosecutor in charge of this case. We have Prosecutor Jung Ah-reum from the Ansan Branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office. Hello, Prosecutor.
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: Hello, I am Prosecutor Jung Ah-reum.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: This is actually the first time I have invited an active prosecutor to the studio for an interview.
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: Yes, for me too.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: Active prosecutors usually don't appear on broadcasts, right?
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: This is my first time visiting a broadcasting station as well.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: But the topic itself is heavy. It is such a tragic case. The Haedeun-i case became known nationwide after SBS's "Unanswered Questions" (Geu-geot-i-al-go-sip-da) released part of the home camera footage showing the child being abused. In the end, you, Prosecutor Jung, indicted the biological mother on charges of child abuse murder.
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: Yes.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: She was sentenced to life imprisonment in the first trial, and the appeal trial is currently underway. Let's first watch a report by SBS reporter Lee Hyun-young from the day before yesterday to understand what kind of case this is, and then we will talk.
[Video Material / SBS News Reporter Lee Hyun-young]
At the final appeal hearing for the biological parents in the so-called Haedeun-i case held at the Gwangju High Court this morning, the prosecution asked the court to sentence the biological mother, Ms. A, who was indicted on murder charges, to life imprisonment, the same as the original ruling, and the biological father, Mr. B, who neglected the abuse, to 10 years in prison. The prosecution pointed out that the biological mother, Ms. A, brutally abused the child as an object for emotional venting, dropping and stepping on the infant who could not even hold up their head. The female prosecutor who attended the trial added that despite this, the child in the home camera footage was seen smiling more brightly when in the mother's arms. The prosecutor choked up, saying that based on empirical rules, a child feels most comfortable in their mother's arms.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: As those watching on YouTube might know, some of the home camera footage is being released now. It shows scenes of the child being held upside down and slammed down, and pressed down with a pillow. There are very brutal scenes that are hard to describe. Prosecutor, you mentioned that you have seen numerous cases throughout your career, but none were as heartbreaking as this crime. Could you briefly walk us through the details of this case?
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: This incident occurred in Yeosu on October 22, 2025. It was a case sent to us under arrest on charges of child abuse resulting in death by drowning, after a four-month-old infant was left unattended in a bathtub. However, as a result of the prosecution's supplementary investigation, we discovered that the biological mother had actually brutally beaten the victim and left them in the bathtub, essentially murdering them. Therefore, we indicted her under arrest on charges including child abuse murder. During the investigation, we also indicted the biological father under arrest for abandoning and neglecting the child despite knowing about the abuse, and for making retaliatory threats against a key witness to force them to recant their statement. As a result, in the first trial, as you mentioned, the biological mother was sentenced to life imprisonment, and the biological father was sentenced to four years and six months in prison.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: So, the child died after being abused by the parents, and the police did a good job catching and arresting the suspects. However, what the police saw was that the child was left in the bathtub. They thought, "They didn't mean to kill the child, but they abused, beat, and neglected the child, and the child died, so it's child abuse resulting in death."
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: That's right.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: Meaning they didn't do it with the intent to kill. And then they handed it over to the prosecution.
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: Yes.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: But when the prosecution looked at it, you thought, "No, this mother intentionally killed the child." So you changed the charge to child abuse murder and indicted her, right?
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: That is correct.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: So, when you, as the prosecutor in charge, reviewed the records sent by the police, you suspected that this wasn't a case where the parents simply abused the child and the child died naturally, but rather that the mother intended to kill the child from the very beginning. That's why you decided to investigate further. What specific part made you realize that a supplementary investigation by the prosecution was necessary?
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: First of all, in this case, the biological mother was arrested. Before the arrest, the police made an emergency arrest, and when they do that, a thin record called an emergency arrest approval request comes up to us. Looking at that record, the baby was only four months old. Babies at that age cannot even hold up their heads, let alone roll over. Since I am also a mother raising a young child, leaving such a baby in a bathtub with the shower running felt extremely strange to me.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: At that time, because the baby was still alive, the charge was child abuse causing severe injury. Feeling that something was off, I spoke with the police team leader on the phone. I told him that looking at the baby's condition, the baby might pass away soon, and if so, this would be at least child abuse resulting in death, or in fact, it could be a child abuse murder case, so the initial investigation is extremely important. That's why I requested a supplementary investigation even before the case was formally sent to us.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: So, as a pre-referral supplementary investigation request, I asked them to check if there was a home camera installed, since people with such young babies often have them, and to secure it if there was one.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: So the police did secure the home camera footage.
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: They received it through voluntary submission—some of it. They received it from the biological father.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: So the police were already aware of the existence of the home camera.
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: Yes. They didn't know before I mentioned it, but once the supplementary investigation was requested, they checked and secured it.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: But looking at the exact same home camera footage, the police concluded there was no intent to kill (resulting in death), while you looked at it and decided there was indeed an intent to kill. In the end, your judgment was correct, as the court accepted the murder charge.
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: Yes.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: Where did the difference come from? Why did you believe there was an intent to kill after watching that home camera footage?
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: This case wasn't about the police investigation being lax, or a mere difference in opinion where the police saw it as death by abuse and the prosecutor saw it as murder. Because this was an arrest case, there was a strict time limit. There is only so much the police can do within that timeframe.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: Right, because they only have 10 days.
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: Yes. But during those 10 days, they faithfully carried out the supplementary investigation requests we made. Within that limited time, they secured the home camera but focused mainly on the video. Naturally, since a home camera is for watching video, their investigation wasn't wrong at all.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: From the police's perspective, they only had 10 days.
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: Yes. So they watched the video, identified all the scenes of abuse, and sent the case over with that in mind. However, on the day of the murder—the day the baby was left in the bathtub—the suspect did not appear in the home camera footage.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: The mother didn't appear?
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: Yes. Since it looked like a still image, they couldn't verify anything from the video. They just didn't check it. However, after the case was transferred, we had a wonderful investigator in our office. He came in over the weekend and, noting that home cameras also record audio, listened to all the audio—even from the videos that looked like still images where the suspect didn't appear. He went through all 4,800 videos.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: All 4,800?
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: Yes. As he listened, on the day the baby was left in the bathtub, he heard the biological mother cursing, saying things to the effect of "Die," "I wish someone like you would disappear," and "Just die," while the sound of her beating the baby was captured. When you hear that sound, and you already know how she abused the baby in previous videos, you can easily infer the severity of the assault just from the audio.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: With that, the direction of the investigation shifted to murder.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: Then, in this case—unlike the ongoing Jang Yoon-ki case in Gwangju, where there are allegations of evidence destruction and the police are facing heavy criticism for a botched investigation...
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: Yes.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: In the Haedeun-i case you handled, it wasn't a matter of the police doing a bad job, but rather the limitation of time. The police could only go so far, while the prosecution had twice as much time based on the records the police had built, allowing you to look at the arrest case more thoroughly and uncover the truth. Is that correct?
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: Yes, though it's not that we had plenty of time, but rather relative to the police. An arrest case gives the police 10 days, and even if we extend the detention, we only have 20 days. The total case file was about 2,000 pages. When the police transferred the case, it was about 300 pages. This means the prosecution generated about 1,600 pages of additional material during our investigation.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: But the reason we were able to conduct such an extensive investigation was that the police had done a solid job with the initial investigation. As you said, within their deadline, that was the best they could do.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: Listening to you, it seems we must fully uncover the substantive truth of a case. We must not falsely accuse anyone, nor should we create more wrongful victims.
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: Absolutely.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: To do that, you are saying the police and prosecution must cooperate closely to carry out investigations, right?
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: Yes.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: Right? Then, in cases like the Gwangju high school girl murder case, the Jang Yoon-ki case, we see allegations of police destroying evidence. Especially since Jang Yoon-ki's father is an active high-ranking officer at the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency. As an active prosecutor, how do you view this issue?
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: Looking at both the Haedeun-i case and the Jang Yoon-ki case, they show that the most desirable system is one where both the police's investigative power and the prosecution's supplementary investigative power are recognized, allowing the two institutions to cooperate and check each other to uncover the substantive truth.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: Cooperation and checks.
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: Yes. The Haedeun-i case seems to be an excellent example of mutual cooperation between the prosecution and the police.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: The case you handled.
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: Yes.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: And you are saying the Jang Yoon-ki case was one that required checks?
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: Correct. In the Jang Yoon-ki case...
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: Because the prosecution uncovered what the police missed—the part where evidence was destroyed. Furthermore, there was the issue of collusion between the police investigation team and the suspect's father, who is a police officer. So you mean the prosecution was able to act as a check.
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: Yes.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: Then, if the prosecution did not have the right to supplementary investigation, both cases would have been buried. Although the suspects were caught, the charges would have been completely different, right?
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: Yes. While identifying a suspect is important in an investigation, as you mentioned, it is also about determining exactly what actions this person took against the victim, what crime those actions constitute, what harm the victim suffered as a result, and what the appropriate punishment is within our society's agreed framework.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: An investigation that stops at merely identifying the suspect is actually a failed investigation. That alone cannot offer comfort, compensation, or support to the victim.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: Prosecutor, there is currently some debate in political circles about whether to abolish the right to supplementary investigation. Putting political matters aside for politicians to handle, as a legal professional and a prosecutor, what concerns you the most if the right to supplementary investigation is completely abolished?
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: As I have said, it will become extremely difficult to discover the substantive truth, and society will operate on the premise of distorted truths believed to be the actual truth. Ultimately, this will lead to the collapse of the criminal justice system. And when the criminal justice system collapses, the legal stability and other elements supported by the judicial system will fail, collapsing the entire national system.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: But some people propose an alternative: the right to request supplementary investigations. They say, "Don't have the prosecution investigate directly; we'll give you the right to request supplementary investigations. If something looks off, just ask the police to do it again. Why do it yourself?" They argue that the right to request supplementary investigations is enough. How would you respond to that?
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: The right to request supplementary investigations alone is insufficient. It is not enough.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: Why is that?
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: First, a clear problem is that in arrest cases, the detention period is strictly limited.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: Right.
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: Once a case is transferred, requesting a supplementary investigation, having the police reinvestigate, notifying us of the results, and indicting based on that within such a short period is simply physically impossible.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: Right, just transferring the records back and forth between the two agencies takes a day.
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: Yes. It is simply impossible. Even in non-arrest cases, such as child abuse, sex crimes, and most everyday crimes like fraud, embezzlement, breach of trust, and theft, it is often impossible to tell which statement to believe between the victim and the suspect just by looking at the written statements.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: One of the things we tell rookie or junior prosecutors the most is that "there is a person behind the records." In other words, you cannot make a judgment solely by looking at the records.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: To give an easy example for the public, imagine texting a close friend. Because it's just text, you can't hear their voice, tone, or manner of speaking, which sometimes leads to misunderstandings.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: Right.
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: But if you meet them in person or talk on the phone, you immediately understand what they meant.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: It's the same with cases. The records arrive. But just looking at the text of the victim's statement, you wonder, "Is this true?" Many suspects are very good at lying, and their stories can sound plausible. You cannot make a decision based on this alone. But when you call the victim in for an interview or conduct a suspect interrogation, you immediately see whose story is true.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: It becomes clear.
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: You realize, "Ah, this is what happened." And as you listen, a case that came in as a 100 million won fraud might turn out to be much more than that after talking to the victim. There could be a much larger crime behind it. Because we can uncover such details, forcing us to judge solely based on records using only the right to request supplementary investigations could lead to highly inadequate investigations.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: I see. Prosecutor, the Prosecution Office and the Serious Crime Investigation Office are scheduled to launch in October. The Prosecution Service will be abolished. Where will you go? Will you go to the Prosecution Office, the Serious Crime Investigation Office, or will you leave public service and open a private practice? It's one of those three. Is that too personal a question?
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: The opening of the Prosecution Office and the Serious Crime Investigation Office is scheduled for October 1, which is less than three months away. However, since even the key details have not been finalized yet, I am not sure what I will do.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: What is the atmosphere like among prosecutors within the prosecution service right now? Is it unsettling?
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: There is somewhat of a confused atmosphere, but just because the organization is being restructured doesn't mean criminals are taking a break. There are still so many cases in each prosecutor's office.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: Right, it's hectic these days, and unresolved cases are piling up.
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: Yes. So overall, the atmosphere seems to be calm, with everyone focusing on their inherent duties as prosecutors while quietly watching how things develop.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: Lastly, if you have anything to say to the politicians designing this system, please share a brief word. Perhaps along the lines of how the issue of supplementary investigation is a systemic one, so it needs to be designed well.
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: Since the police have a relatively larger investigative workforce, they excel at securing evidence quickly in the early stages of a case, identifying suspects, and taking them into custody. On the other hand, the prosecution, being legal experts, is strong in detailed and professional investigations, such as making legal determinations, setting the direction of investigations, and meticulously analyzing evidence. It is not about which agency's investigation is superior, but rather that each has its own strengths.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: So we should let them cooperate?
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: Yes. I believe it is right to maintain both.
[Host] Kim Tae-hyun: That was Prosecutor Jung Ah-reum. Thank you.
[Interview] Jung Ah-reum: Thank you.
The copyright of this interview material belongs to SBS Radio.
When publishing the full text or quoting the interview, please specify the channel name and the exact program name as follows.
[SBS Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show]
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.
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