[Summary] "If Only She Had Been Taken to the ER the Day Before the Accident"... Jeongin's Adoptive Father’s Letter of Reflection

"Committed a grave wrongdoing but evaded responsibility"
"Will accept any punishment willingly"
Sent to trial for neglecting abuse of 16-month-old adopted child

Stepfather Ahn Mo Leaving the Court Amid Protests Regarding 'Jeong-in' / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] The adoptive father in the so-called 'Jung-in case,' who continuously abused a 16-month-old adopted child leading to her death, has submitted a letter of remorse to the court. An Mo, the adoptive father who was indicted without detention on charges of neglect despite knowing about Jung-in's abuse, expressed in the letter, "I will accept any punishment willingly," and confessed, "Despite concerns from those around me, I only listened to my wife’s words and was busy sugarcoating and covering up."

According to multiple media reports on the 26th, An submitted the letter of remorse to the court the day before (the 25th). In the letter, An stated, "Failing to protect the child was entirely due to my irresponsibility and indifference," and "I will live with a heart of atonement for the rest of my life, apologizing to the child."

He continued, "While going through the trial, I felt self-disgust wondering why I took the strange signs, which seemed so obvious to others, lightly," and "I dismissed sincere concerns as mere prejudice or excessive interest. I only listened to my wife’s words and was busy covering up."

He added, "There were several opportunities to save the child, but I failed to seize even one," and "Especially, I feel overwhelming guilt thinking that if I had taken the child to the emergency room the day before the accident, that precious life would not have been lost."

On the 17th, when the witness examination for the 16-month-old infant who died after being abused by adoptive parents in the "Jeong-in case" was held, citizens were holding placards demanding severe punishment for the adoptive parents in front of the Seoul Southern District Court in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul. / Photo by Yonhap News

Earlier, An was brought to trial on December 9 last year on charges including violation of the Child Welfare Act (child abandonment and neglect). He is accused of neglecting and partially participating in abuse while knowing that his wife, Jang Mo, abused and neglected Jung-in during the adoption and upbringing process.

Jung-in passed away on October 13 last year at a hospital in Mok-dong, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul. This occurred 271 days after being adopted by the couple.

At the time of death, Jung-in reportedly had an abdomen filled with blood, some organs damaged, and severe injuries on parts of her body.

At the time, the adoptive parents claimed Jung-in’s condition was due to an accidental fall from a sofa, insisting it was an accident. However, police investigations confirmed that since adopting Jung-in in January, they had habitually abandoned, neglected, and assaulted her.

On the morning of the 16th, one day before the second trial of the adoptive parents accused of abusing and causing the death of Jeong-in after adopting her, members of the Korea Child Abuse Prevention Association were organizing condolence wreaths and cleaning the area in front of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office. / Photo by Yonhap News

In Jang’s case, CCTV footage captured scenes last July where she forcefully pushed a stroller carrying Jung-in in an elevator, causing it to hit the wall, and violently grabbed the child’s neck with her hand.

As these facts became known, citizens expressed outrage. Especially last month, a petition was posted on the Blue House website demanding that An be charged with murder, which garnered over 220,000 signatures within ten days of posting.

The petitioner wrote, "How could the father not know when the child was being abused like that?" and argued, "If he truly lived 271 days without knowing the child was dying, that is not neglect but child abuse resulting in death."

A Blue House petition requesting that Mr. An, the husband of the adoptive mother who abused and caused the death of a 16-month-old adopted child, be charged with murder surpassed 200,000 endorsements on the afternoon of the 14th of last month. / Photo by Blue House petition board capture

They further stated, "He himself must know well that he is neither guilty of child abuse resulting in death nor aiding murder," and questioned, "If the husband really didn’t know, and all this happened solely by the wife without him, could she have openly and straightforwardly talked about it like that?"

Meanwhile, An’s lawyer, during the first trial, acknowledged that An neglected his parental duty to protect the child but explained, "He did not intentionally neglect the child and thought it was more important to feed her well at home than to take her to the hospital."

However, in the letter of remorse, An took responsibility for Jung-in’s death. He said, "I committed a tremendous wrongdoing yet tried to evade responsibility and even said it was unfair to be misunderstood," calling himself "unfit as a human being."

He added, "As time passes, memories of not being able to treat the child well keep recurring, causing me great pain and remorse," and emphasized, "I will accept any punishment willingly."