"Mother Who Killed 6-Month-Old Daughter Says 'I Will Ask Forgiveness from the Innocent Child'... Prosecution Seeks 20 Years in Appeal Trial"

20s Mother Who Killed 6-Month-Old Daughter
Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison...Prosecution Says "Against Public Opinion"
Prosecution Demands 20 Years in Appeal Trial Closing Argument

Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

The prosecution has requested a harsher sentence for a woman in her 20s who was sentenced to 7 years in prison in the first trial for killing her 6-month-old daughter.

According to Yonhap News Agency, "On the 26th, the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office requested a 20-year prison sentence during the appeal trial for Kim (26) at the Criminal Division 1 of the Gwangju High Court (Presiding Judge Park Jeong-hoon)."

The prosecution explained the reason for the request, stating, "The method of killing the victim, who was only about 6 months old, was extremely cruel, and the victim died in severe pain, causing irreversible damage. To understand how the public feels about this case, we asked the prosecution review committee about the appropriate sentence, and the committee members responded that the sentence should be at least 15 years, with some saying 20 years."

They added, "If this is the general public opinion, it should be sufficiently reflected to ensure the sentence aligns with the public's sense of justice. In a situation where similar crimes are rampant, if the original sentence of 7 years is upheld, it will have no crime prevention effect."

On the same day, Kim's defense attorney appealed for leniency, saying, "Please consider that the defendant committed the crime impulsively due to mental illness and diminished mental capacity." In her final statement, Kim said, "I will serve my sentence so that when I meet my innocent baby again in heaven, I can ask for forgiveness from my child."

Kim was indicted for killing her daughter on the 15th floor of an apartment in Seo-gu, Gwangju, at 6 a.m. on December 3 last year and was sentenced to 7 years in prison in the first trial. She committed the act in a fit of anger after an argument with her husband. The child was found dead after falling into the apartment's flower bed.

The sentencing hearing for Kim's appeal trial will be held on the 17th of next month.