Prosecutors have indicted and detained a woman in her 20s who abandoned her newborn in a commercial building restroom immediately after giving birth. Acting as a representative of the public interest, they intervened directly to suspend her parental rights and register the child's birth in order to save the newborn, whose life was in danger.
The Women and Children's Crime Investigation Division 2 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (led by Chief Prosecutor Park Ji-na) said Wednesday that it had indicted and detained on May 14 the biological mother, identified as A, a woman in her 20s, on charges of attempted child abuse murder for abandoning her newborn in a trash can in a commercial building restroom.
A is accused of giving birth to the child on April 3 this year in a restroom at her workplace's commercial building, then dumping the baby in a trash can and covering it with tissue in an attempt to kill it. Fortunately, a colleague discovered the baby and reported it to 119. The newborn, who was in cardiac arrest, was urgently transported to Seoul National University Hospital, where cardiopulmonary resuscitation and intensive care saved its life.
During this process, prosecutors confirmed that with the biological mother detained, the legal guardian's consent needed for the victim child's treatment could not be obtained. They therefore filed a request on their own authority with the Seoul Family Court for a temporary measure to suspend her parental rights, which the court granted. With this decision, Seoul National University Hospital was able to obtain the consent of a temporary guardian and promptly carry out necessary treatments such as a tracheotomy, thereby protecting the victim child's life.
Prosecutors also resolved the problem of the victim child being unable to properly access medical and welfare services because no birth registration had been filed. The prosecutor handling the case personally registered the birth, establishing a foundation for the child to receive various welfare benefits, including medical, financial, and telecommunications services and child allowances. Prosecutors also filed for a ruling to strip the biological mother of her parental rights and asked the court to appoint the head of the facility where the victim child was placed as the minor's guardian.
Prosecutors assessed this case as an example of investigative agencies, medical institutions, and welfare organizations cooperating organically to protect the victim child's life and rights.
"We will strictly punish child abuse offenders while doing our utmost in public-interest activities to protect victim children and promote their welfare from the perspective of 'the best interests of the child,' together with related agencies," a prosecution official said.
