A Vietnamese international student who abandoned a newborn baby in a commercial restroom has been handed over to the prosecution in custody.
A Vietnamese international student who abandoned a newborn baby in the underground shopping mall restroom in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province has been handed over to the prosecution. Yonhap News
On the 30th, the Gyeonggi Northern Provincial Police Agency announced that they had sent Ms. A (19, female), a Vietnamese national, to the prosecution in custody on the 28th on charges of violating the Child Welfare Act (child abandonment).
Ms. A is suspected of abandoning a newborn baby in a bag in the women's restroom of the underground shopping center at Uijeongbu Station, Gyeonggi Province, on the 20th. The baby was discovered around 5 p.m. that day by a security guard at the shopping center. When the guard opened the bag from which crying sounds were heard, a newborn baby with the umbilical cord still attached was found. The baby was immediately transported to a hospital and is reported to be in good health.
The police analyzed CCTV footage from the shopping center to identify Ms. A and arrested her at her residence in Uijeongbu. Ms. A had entered the country this year as a student for language training. She initially denied the charges of childbirth and abandonment during the investigation, but eventually admitted to the charges during the custody process. Ms. A stated that "the birth was sudden and unexpected, and she did not have the means to raise the child."
It was investigated that Ms. A gave birth to the baby at her residence on the day of the incident, at 40 weeks, the late stage of pregnancy. A police official stated, "The suspect clearly refuses to disclose who the biological father is, so the investigation will continue." The police plan to place the baby in a child protection facility in cooperation with hospitals and local government authorities.
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