"Jung-in's Death Is Not Murder but Propaganda by Producers" Public Outrage at Viewers Defending Adoptive Parents

A daycare teacher holding Jeong-in the day before Jeong-in's death. Photo by SBS from the capture of 'Unanswered Questions'.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-eun] As the story of 16-month-old adopted child Jeong-in, who died due to abuse by her adoptive parents, is being reexamined and causing public outrage, a viewer is defending the adoptive parents by claiming that the content is 'propaganda by the broadcast production team,' sparking controversy.

On the 3rd, a post titled "'That’s What I Want to Know' propaganda broadcast still ongoing" was uploaded on the viewer board of SBS's 'That’s What I Want to Know.'

The author wrote, "By the standards of 'That’s What I Want to Know,' 99% of parents are all abusers. All infants cry when they are hungry, throw tantrums when they don’t want to eat, and if you look away for a moment, they crawl around and bump into things," adding, "Hey, 'That’s What I Want to Know,' it seems like you are trying to incite people by framing this as murder."

They continued, "(The adoptive parents) at worst should be seen as guilty of negligent homicide, and the adoptive father seems innocent," and said, "When it’s hard and frustrating, if the child throws a tantrum, refuses to eat, cries and makes a fuss, it’s really maddening. If you don’t feed the child because they are crying and making a fuss and leave them alone, and something happens, you’ll be accused of child abuse or murder, right?"

They also claimed, "Infants are supposed to crawl around, climb, throw tantrums, and make a fuss. They can die by their own mistakes," and "Even if the child was very irritating, the parents might have been irritated with the child. Of course, if it’s too severe, it could be mild or serious abuse."

The author said, "By your standards, the hypocritical parents who are making a fuss here are all abusers," and "Have you ever been irritated with your own infant or lost your temper because they refused to eat or threw a tantrum? You disgusting hypocrites," adding, "What murder? Why are you doing disgusting propaganda as if they are co-perpetrators? The production team will incite people to believe it’s murder no matter what."

Photo by SBS, screenshot of a post on the 'Unanswered Questions' viewer board

As a result, the post spread across various social media platforms and online communities, fueling public outrage. Within a day of being posted, it surpassed 40,000 views and received over 180 comments.

Netizens expressed anger with comments such as, "This is nonsense when murder charges should be applied," "It was abuse involving long-term bleeding and extreme pain, not disciplinary corporal punishment. No one disciplines like that no matter how irritating," and "Where do you see propaganda? You should be ashamed."

Earlier, on the broadcast on the 2nd, the story of 16-month-old Jeong-in, who was adopted by adoptive parents at about 7 months old and suffered various abuses before dying on October 13 last year, 271 days after adoption, was aired.

On that day’s broadcast, the production team revealed CCTV footage from the daycare center taken the day before Jeong-in’s death. Jeong-in was seen not crying or walking, weakly clinging to the daycare teacher’s arms. The teacher continuously checked various parts of Jeong-in’s body and, upon lifting the child’s clothes and seeing a distended belly, was alarmed and closely watched the child.

A specialist who was in charge when Jeong-in died said, "The moment I saw (Jeong-in’s) photos, my blood ran cold. All the bones were fractured. The belly was filled with blood, and the pancreas was completely severed," adding, "The intestines ruptured, and the air inside leaked out. When air leaks like this, it is one of the worst pains. The child didn’t speak, but it must have been excruciating."

Meanwhile, the adoptive parents claim Jeong-in’s death was a simple accident. They say that in frustration because Jeong-in wouldn’t listen, they shook her and dropped her, and during that process, the child’s belly hit a chair. The adoptive mother was arrested and indicted on charges of violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes (child abuse resulting in death), while the adoptive father was indicted without detention on charges of violating the Child Welfare Act (child neglect and abandonment), among others.