"My responsibility for not protecting the child... I failed to seize the chance to save them"
[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] An adoptive father, Mr. Ahn, who was indicted without detention on charges of abusing 16-month-old adoptee Jeong-in, has submitted a letter of remorse to the court.
On the 28th, according to Ahn’s legal counsel, Ahn recently sent a letter of remorse to the Criminal Division 13 of the Seoul Southern District Court, stating, "My failure to protect the child was entirely due to my irresponsibility and negligence," and "I will live with a lifelong heart of atonement, apologizing to the child."
Ahn wrote, "While undergoing 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 attention, and was only eager to listen to and protect my wife’s words."
He continued, "There were several opportunities to save the child, but I failed to seize even one," and "Especially the day before the accident, if I had just taken the child to the emergency room, that precious life might not have been extinguished, and I am overwhelmed with guilt."
Earlier, Ahn was indicted along with his wife, Ms. Jang, for adopting and raising Jeong-in while knowing about Ms. Jang’s abuse and neglect, neglecting to intervene, and participating in some of the abuse.
At the first trial, Ahn’s lawyer acknowledged the neglect of the duty to protect the child but explained, "He did not intentionally neglect the child, and thought it was more important to feed the child well at home than to take them to the hospital."
However, in the letter of remorse submitted this time, he stated, "Having committed a tremendous wrongdoing yet evading responsibility and even saying it was unfair to be misunderstood shows I am unfit as a human being," and "Even after the child died because of my mistakes, I consistently showed irresponsible behavior, so I don’t think I can seek forgiveness by any means," taking full responsibility for Jeong-in’s death.
He added, "As time passes, memories of not treating the child well keep recurring, causing me great pain and remorse," and "I will accept any punishment deserved."
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