Jeong-in's Adoptive Mother Submits Two Letters of Reflection to Court: "Apologies to Daycare and Holt"

On February 17, when the second trial of the 'Jung-in case,' in which the child died due to abuse by adoptive parents, was held, citizens protested in front of the Seoul Yangcheon District Southern District Court, urging punishment for the adoptive parents. Photo by Jang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] The adoptive mother Jang, accused of murder and child abuse resulting in death in the 'Jeong-in case,' is reported to have submitted two letters of apology to the court, expressing remorse and apologizing to the daycare center and Holt Children's Services (Holt).

According to Jang's attorney on the 8th, Jang submitted letters of apology to the court on January 11 and last month on the 17th.

In the first letter of apology submitted before the first trial on January 11, Jang reportedly wrote, "I got irritated under the pretext of discipline, and if I could go back, I would neither hit nor get angry," and "On the day Jeong-in died, I was so irritated that I hit the child and even shook her."

The second letter of apology submitted to the court on the 17th of last month also included apologies to those involved around the case. In the letter, Jang reportedly wrote "sorry" to Holt, which handled Jeong-in's adoption process, and to the daycare center Jeong-in attended. The attorney said, "She apologized for causing harm to others and for her actions damaging Holt and others," adding, "This was an addition to the first letter of apology, including apologies to those around her."

At previous trials of Jang, the director and homeroom teacher of the daycare center Jeong-in attended appeared as witnesses. They spoke about Jeong-in during the trial with trembling voices, sobbed heavily, and cried loudly.

Following the Jeong-in case, Holt has been criticized for failing to properly conduct post-adoption follow-up management. On the 6th, Chairman Kim Ho-hyun resigned.