Foster Parents' Acquaintance: "Opposed to Adoption After First Childcare Report," "Like Checking Off a Bucket List"
Foster Father: "What About the First Child... Didn't Mention Abuse Signs Back Then"
Controversy Arises Over 'Miyeokguk' Meal Served at Detention Center Where Foster Mother Is Imprisoned
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-eun] SBS's investigative program "Unanswered Questions" (Geural), which covered the case of the death of 16-month-old adoptee Jeong-in, aired the episode titled "Jeong-in, I'm Sorry, and the Path Our Anger Must Take" on the 23rd, revealing the full story of the case in a follow-up report that has sparked public outrage.
The broadcast revisited the Jeong-in death case once again. The adoptive father, Mr. Ahn, claims that the adoptive mother, Ms. Jang, was the one who actively wanted the adoption, and that he himself was unaware of the abuse.
Mr. Ahn, whom Geural met before the trial, said, "We talked about adoption continuously even before marriage, and until the very end, my wife was more proactive. Because it wasn't easy to persuade my parents. Honestly, I said a couple of times that we should give up, but my wife encouraged me to be brave and said since we decided to adopt, let's do it together courageously."
However, the statements from acquaintances interviewed by the Geural production team during the investigation differed from the adoptive father's claims. According to testimonies from daycare teachers, despite explaining to adoptive father Mr. Ahn the child's severe physical condition when he came to pick up the child the day before her death, he did not take Jeong-in to the hospital immediately.
It was also confirmed that three days before Jeong-in's death, adoptive father Mr. Ahn and adoptive mother Ms. Jang visited an art academy with their eldest child and participated in a class. According to the art academy director, neither Ms. Jang nor Mr. Ahn was seen taking care of Jeong-in during the class.
An acquaintance of the couple said, "The father also seemed strange. He said, 'At this age, a child's IQ is similar to a puppy's, so if they do well, they get a reward, and if not, a punishment.' When the 8-month-old baby cried, he wouldn't hold her, and only held her when she stopped crying." Another acquaintance said, "I witnessed the adoptive mother yelling at Jeong-in in the car, shouting at her in English, and the adoptive father took the eldest child and left the scene."
In response, adoptive father Mr. Ahn expressed his frustration, saying, "What about our eldest child if it comes to this? Why didn't people around me tell me about the signs of abuse? Now everyone is giving statements."
Also, an acquaintance of adoptive mother Ms. Jang said, "She usually said she disliked pregnancy and children," adding, "She could only come to Seoul because she had a child, and she had the first child because she wanted to move to Seoul." Regarding why she chose adoption instead of pregnancy, the acquaintance said, "She wanted to give her daughter a sibling of the same gender but didn't want to get pregnant. People who saw her taking care of the eldest opposed it. But she said it was her lifelong dream and did it like fulfilling a bucket list."
Children's rights organizations such as Takteen Naeil and the Korea Single Mothers Support Network held a press conference in front of the main gate of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 11th, urging the government to take measures regarding the abuse and death of an adopted child in the "Jung In case." / Photo by Moon Honam munonam@
Previously, despite suspicions from acquaintances and three reports from daycare teachers, pediatricians, and other related experts, Jeong-in was repeatedly returned home each time. On May 25 last year, daycare teachers first noticed signs of abuse on Jeong-in's body since March of that year and reported it to the Child Protection Agency. The agency requested an investigation due to discrepancies between hospital records and the parents' explanations, but the investigation was closed about 20 days after the report.
On June 29, a citizen who saw Jeong-in left in a vehicle for more than 30 minutes reported it to the Child Protection Agency, which again requested a police investigation. However, the police spent 14 days just trying to find the incident location and explained that the CCTV footage had already been deleted when they tried to obtain it.
However, the second reporter said, "I clearly specified the exact location of the incident... it's unbelievable." Furthermore, it is reported that the adoptive mother sought out the second reporter and threatened to sue for false accusation, raising suspicions that the police exposed the second reporter's identity.
The last report was made on September 23 last year by a pediatrician who said, "She came for vaccination in July that year, and there was a wound inside her mouth as if someone had deliberately torn it. She came back two months later, and she was deteriorated. I reported because I thought she needed to be separated from her mother," but Jeong-in was again returned home.
On the 13th, when the first trial of the adoptive parents accused of abusing and causing the death of their 16-month-old adopted daughter Jeong-in was held at the Seoul Southern District Court, the adoptive father, Mr. Ahn, was coming out after the trial. Photo by Yonhap News
Meanwhile, on the 24th, controversy arose as the meal menu of the Seoul Southern Detention Center, where the adoptive mother is incarcerated, was revealed. According to the Seoul Southern Detention Center, the menu for that day included ▷Beef seaweed soup, dried radish salad, braised soybeans, napa cabbage kimchi (breakfast) ▷Dumpling soft tofu soup, crunchy chili pepper pickles, boiled egg, napa cabbage kimchi (lunch) ▷Pork kimchi stew, radish greens, yogurt, young radish kimchi (dinner).
As this menu was shared online, netizens responded negatively, saying things like "This is an excessive meal for a criminal who committed a cruel crime," and "Why is she eating seaweed soup as if she did something good?" Especially, seaweed soup is a traditional Korean dish eaten by mothers after childbirth for postpartum care and is commonly served on birthdays, so many pointed out the disconnect in serving it to a mother on trial for brutally murdering a child.
Recently, the prosecution added a murder charge against adoptive mother Ms. Jang. Her defense attorney argued against the indictment change, saying, "She denied the charge of abuse resulting in death; how could she admit to murder? She does not admit to stepping on the child." As both Ms. Jang and Mr. Ahn deny the charges, the trial has entered the witness examination phase. The prosecution has requested 17 witnesses, including a forensic pathologist who examined Jeong-in's cause of death and neighbors who heard a 'thud' sound on the day of death. The next trial for Ms. Jang and Mr. Ahn is scheduled for the 17th of next month.
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