'Fearing Arrest Would Be Exposed'... The Tragedy of a Baby Who Never Crossed a Hospital Threshold

The baby born into the world in August 2022 brought "anxiety" rather than a "blessing."

The baby was born without any medical assistance in the bathroom of an apartment in Gangwon Province, not at a hospital.

The biological mother was only 14 years old at the time.

Without receiving a single prenatal checkup throughout her pregnancy, she gave birth alone to a baby conceived with her ex-boyfriend, without even knowing the exact gestational age.

Although born prematurely, the baby never crossed the threshold of a hospital even once before ending its life.

Person A (27), who was in their early 20s at the time, and the biological mother, a minor known as B, decided to raise the baby at Person A's home without even filing a birth registration.

This was because they were afraid that B's identity would be exposed as she was wanted under the Probation Act.

Even while raising a pet dog inside the house, the two lived with the baby on the bed they used without taking sufficient hygiene measures.

The baby frequently fell off the bed while sleeping, resulting in swollen eyes and a worsening health condition, but the two did not take the baby to a hospital.

Left unattended without any medical treatment or professional care, the baby ultimately died at the end of October of that year.

Even after the baby died, the primary concern for the two was "the risk of B's wanted status being exposed."

Fearing that reporting the death to the police, handing the body over to a hospital, or holding a normal funeral would reveal B's wanted status and lead to her arrest, the two decided to conceal even the baby's death.

In the early hours of the day after the baby passed away, Person A and B put the body in a box and buried it directly by digging the ground under a bridge.

For this offense, Person A, who was detained, received a finalized sentence of 1 year and 6 months in prison suspended for 2 years for the crime of abandoning a body.

B, who was a minor, was referred to the juvenile division.

However, the legal responsibility of the two surrounding the baby's death did not end there.

Deeming that the two were also responsible for failing to provide the necessary medical measures and an appropriate nurturing environment for the baby born prematurely, investigative authorities brought them back to court last October on charges of child abuse resulting in death under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Child Abuse, as well as abandonment and neglect under the Child Welfare Act.

The first instance court reprimanded Person A, stating, "Although you had an obligation to protect B's child healthily and safely once you decided to protect her, your acts of abandonment and neglect led the victimized child to tragically end her life after just about two months of birth."

However, taking into consideration the fact that Person A assumed the duty of protection toward the victimized child in the process of cohabiting with B and that Person A was not the biological father, the court sentenced Person A to 3 years in prison with execution suspended for 5 years.

As for B, the court decided that rather than punishment through a regular criminal trial, it was more desirable to guide and discipline her to grow into a sound member of society through meticulous protection and rehabilitation considering the characteristics of a juvenile, and thus referred her to the juvenile division.

The prosecution, which had demanded an 8-year prison term for Person A in the first trial, appealed on the grounds that "the sentence is too light and unfair," bringing Person A to face the judgment of the court once again.

The first appellate trial opens today (September 16).

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.