"By Gender and Saju"…Couple Who Bought Newborns and Abused Them Sentenced to Prison Again in Second Trial

Remarried Couple Neglects Own Child, Buys Newborn
"Didn't Like It" and Abandons Baby Again in Baby Box
Appeal Court Upholds Original Ruling

Daejeon District Court building.

A couple in their 40s who purchased newborns from single mothers and then abandoned or abused them were sentenced to prison again in the appellate court.

On the 11th, the 4th Criminal Appeals Division of the Daejeon District Court (Chief Judge Gu Chang-mo) upheld the original sentences of 4 years imprisonment for wife A (48) and 2 years imprisonment for husband B (46), who were tried on charges including child trafficking, child abuse, child abandonment, and neglect under the Child Welfare Act. They were also ordered to complete an 80-hour child abuse treatment program and were banned from employment in child-related institutions for 5 years.

From January 2020 to August 2021, A purchased five newborns from four biological mothers by paying between 1 million and 100,000 won. Among them, two infants only a week old were abandoned again in a baby box because "the gender and birth details were unsatisfactory." They approached single mothers seeking adoption through internet portal sites, persuading them by saying, "We will raise the child and provide financial support," and traded the babies like commodities. However, they were charged with physically and emotionally abusing the babies after bringing them home. It was confirmed through their mobile phones that during marital disputes, they assaulted the children without particular reason or discussed "let's abandon the children" citing parenting stress.

A and B are a remarried couple who, it was found, neglected their parental duties by not exercising visitation rights with children from previous marriages. They stated, "We wanted to have a daughter, but pregnancy was difficult, and legal adoption was not easy, so we committed the crime." Their crime was uncovered during a full investigation of unregistered births conducted by the local district office in July last year. When the district office could not locate some children, they requested a police investigation, leading to the arrest. The affected children are currently known to be living either adopted through welfare agencies or in shelters for abused children.

At the first trial's sentencing hearing, A's side argued, "I committed the act under the obsession that raising a baby girl would make our marriage happy," and requested leniency considering the actual intention to raise the children. They claimed that the discipline was not beyond social norms and that since they consulted with staff before abandoning the babies in the baby box, it did not constitute abandonment or neglect. However, the first trial court rejected this, stating, "The acts constituted abuse beyond permissible limits, and they secretly left the baby in the baby box but had to disclose the child's birth date after encountering staff." Both the prosecution and defendants appealed citing excessive sentencing, but the appellate court dismissed the appeal, stating, "The sentencing judgment of the original court does not exceed the reasonable range of discretion."