"Asked for Help"... 2-Month-Old Incheon Baby with Cardiac Arrest Born in Motel

Motel Owner "Requested Help from Dong Office Multiple Times... It's Heartbreaking"

Items left behind by a couple who gave birth to a baby in a motel.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-ju] "Since last summer, they came to the motel more than 20 times with a young child, staying for a day or two each time. They even gave birth to a child at the motel. I contacted the community service center several times, worried that something serious might happen, and begged for help, but in the end, this kind of incident occurred."

Park Mo (67), the owner of the motel where the 'Incheon cardiac arrest 2-month-old girl' was born, expressed his sorrow in a phone interview with the media on the 14th.

The motel is the place where the 2-month-old girl, A, who was transferred to the intensive care unit of a general hospital in an unconscious state at 12:03 a.m. the previous day, was born.

According to the fire authorities, A was born in the bathroom inside a motel room at around 10:30 a.m. on February 16. On the same day, paramedics who responded to a report from the biological father, B (27), transported A and the biological mother, C (22), to a nearby hospital.

Motel owner Park recalled, "When 119 (emergency services) arrived and said a birth had taken place, I went up to the room and found it in complete disarray. Feeling heartbroken, I scolded them, asking how they could give birth in the motel."

Park said, "I also pleaded with the firefighters to help, and contacted the community service center, saying that if things were left as they were, something that would make the news might happen. I told them several times that if anything went wrong, I wouldn't stay silent and begged for help."

Items left behind by a couple who gave birth to a baby in a motel.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

However, A was later found in a state of cerebral hemorrhage while staying with her father B and older brother at another nearby motel the previous day.

The police urgently arrested father B on suspicion of child abuse and plan to apply for an arrest warrant.

Before A was born, B and his wife had visited Park’s motel about 20 times from June to July last year, staying for about one to two days each time. Park became suspicious of their frequent visits with a young child and asked why. At first, B and his wife said they were "on a trip," but later explained that "they had to move, but the dates didn’t match, so they stayed at the motel."

After A was born, B and his wife did not return to Park’s motel but moved around other nearby motels, according to investigations.

The motel owner said, "They left the baby’s mother’s clothes and baby items behind, so I put them in a plastic bag just in case and kept them. I wanted to tell them how to get help if they came back to the motel, but they didn’t return, so I was worried." He added, "I contacted the community service center several times asking for help, but in the end, this kind of incident happened."

Earlier, an official from an administrative welfare center in Incheon, unable to contact B and his wife for over a week, sent an official letter to the police on the 5th of this month requesting an investigation to confirm their whereabouts.

C, B’s wife, who was not in the motel room at the time of the cardiac arrest incident, had already been arrested by the police on the 6th on suspicion of fraud.

Since C’s detention, B has been taking care of their two young children alone.

The motel owner described B as "not rude in speech and polite. When I asked how they could give birth in the motel, he repeatedly said 'I'm sorry' and left." He added, "The baby’s mother left wearing a motel gown instead of her own clothes after giving birth, and I thought she would come back to get her clothes, but she never did. I don’t know the circumstances, but I felt sorry for them and wanted to help, so it’s heartbreaking."