Gumi Girl's Biological Mother’s Side: "Two DNAs in One Body... Will Submit 'Chimera Syndrome' Data"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Ju Cheol-in] The side of Seok (48), identified as the biological mother of a 3-year-old girl who was found dead alone in a villa in Gumi, announced that they will submit materials related to "chimerism" as evidence.

Chimerism is a phenomenon where one individual has overlapping genes, resulting in a person having two different sets of genes, and is known to be an extremely rare case.

Seok's lawyer stated at the third trial held on the 17th under the presiding of Judge Seo Cheong-woon of the Criminal Division 2 at Daegu District Court Gimcheon Branch, "The defendant has had doubts about the DNA test results so far, so we sought external advice," adding, "We have considered whether materials related to chimerism have evidentiary value, but we want to submit them to the court and receive a judgment."

In response, the court said, "If the defendant's side submits materials related to chimerism at the next hearing, we will accept them for now."

At the trial that day, the prosecution additionally submitted an umbilical cord clamp found in the villa where the 3-year-old girl died as supplementary evidence. The umbilical cord clamp is a tool used to cut the newborn's umbilical cord.

The prosecution stated that the clamp had the child's umbilicus attached and that DNA test results confirmed it belonged to the deceased girl, adding that the clamp, made of sturdy plastic material, appears to have been broken by external force.

The prosecution also played video footage from the time of Seok's arrest, claiming, "Seok did not show any signs of being flustered or startled."

In response, Seok's lawyer asked, "Does the fact that the umbilical cord clamp shows signs of damage imply that it was swapped with another child's?" The prosecution replied, "The interlocking part of the clamp has serrations, making it difficult to separate. It appears the defendant either received help from a third party or gave birth alone in an unknown place and went through the process of separating it to reuse it."

During the trial, the prosecution also submitted additional evidence including nurse testimonies stating that it is rare for identification tags attached to newborns in hospitals to fall off, and testimonies from mothers hospitalized at the same hospital where Seok's daughter Kim (22) gave birth.

In response, Seok's lawyer expressed the position that "some parts, such as YouTube playback history, seem unrelated to the charges and are therefore not agreed upon." The next trial is scheduled for July 13.