[Summary] Suddenly Changed Ear Shape in a Month... Was the Gumi Girl Switched at That Time?

SBS 'GeuAl' Analysis of Girl's Photos from March-April 2018
Folded Left Ear Suddenly Unfolded in Less Than a Month
Expert: "Not the Same Person Based on Ear Shape and Other Features"

On the 10th, the SBS current affairs program "Unanswered Questions" suggested the possibility that a 3-year-old girl found dead in a house in Gumi, Gyeongbuk, may have been switched in April 2018. / Photo by SBS Broadcast Capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] It has been suggested that a 3-year-old girl found dead in a house in Gumi, Gyeongbuk, may have been switched at birth in April 2018. An analysis of photos from the girl's infancy revealed that her folded ear, which was present after birth, suddenly unfolded within about a month. Experts analyzed that it is highly unlikely for an infant's ear shape to change within less than a month.

On the afternoon of the 10th, the SBS current affairs program "Unanswered Questions" estimated that the point at which the deceased 3-year-old girl and the child of her biological mother, Ms. Seok (48), and her eldest daughter, Ms. Kim (22), were switched could have been in April 2018.

In the broadcast, the production team collected and analyzed over 5,000 photos documenting the girl's whereabouts after her birth on March 30, 2018, to trace the time of the switch.

Particularly, the team focused on the shape of the girl's ear. From March 30 to April 23 of the same year, the left ear was folded on the outer rim, but a photo taken the very next day (April 24) showed the ear unfolded. This means the ear unfolded in just one day.

Seok Mo (48), identified as the biological mother of the 3-year-old girl in Gumi, sent to prosecution / Photo by Yonhap News

Based on this data, the production team sought the judgment of a forensic video analysis expert. The expert stated, "When comparing photos taken from the same angle around April 24, not only the folded shape of the ear but also the shapes and proportions of other parts differ so much that they cannot be considered the same person." The conclusion was that the girl in the photo taken on the 24th and the child in the earlier photos are not the same individual.

In other words, the point at which Ms. Seok's child and Ms. Kim's child were switched is likely to have been on April 24, 2018, at Ms. Kim's marital home.

Earlier, the Gumi Police Department, which is investigating the case, detected signs of the children being switched on the 26th of last month. The police inferred this fact through the children's blood types. The obstetrics clinic records showed Ms. Kim's child's blood type as A, which is impossible considering the blood types of Ms. Kim and her ex-husband.

Moreover, the police stated that through blood type and genetic (DNA) testing, they were notified by the National Forensic Service (NFS) that this child is not Ms. Kim's offspring. The NFS reported that the DNA and blood type test results between the deceased girl and Ms. Kim's family were "inconsistent."

On the morning of the 11th of last month, Mr. Seok entered the Daegu District Court Gimcheon Branch to attend the detention warrant hearing. / Photo by Yonhap News

The deceased girl was found dead around 3 p.m. on February 10 in a villa in Gumi. The first person to report the incident was Ms. Seok. Upon receiving the report, the police arrested and investigated Ms. Kim, Ms. Seok's eldest daughter, on suspicion of child abuse resulting in death, considering her the biological mother of the girl.

However, after DNA testing, results showed that Ms. Seok, not Ms. Kim, appeared to be the mother of the girl, leading the case into an unexpected phase. Especially since Ms. Kim gave birth around the same time as Ms. Seok, some have suggested the possibility that Ms. Seok switched her own daughter with Ms. Kim's daughter.

Nevertheless, Ms. Seok has consistently denied giving birth during police investigations and has raised suspicions that the DNA test results might be erroneous.

Meanwhile, Ms. Seok was indicted on the 5th on charges including kidnapping a minor and attempted concealment of a corpse.