Taken from Shelter Right After Birth and Handed Over to Buyer
Crime Discovered Later Through Nationwide Investigation of Unregistered Births
The court has sentenced a biological mother to prison for handing over her three-month-old daughter for 1 million won.
On April 25, Kim Yeonkyung, the presiding judge of the Gwangju District Court's Criminal Division 2, announced that A (36), who was indicted on charges of violating the Child Welfare Act (child trafficking), was sentenced to one year in prison and was taken into custody in court.
A was indicted without detention on charges of handing over her third daughter, who was three months old at the time, to a buyer together with the child's biological father in July 2012 in exchange for 1 million won in cash. After entrusting her daughter to a temporary infant care facility immediately after birth, A signed a written pledge stating, "I will fulfill my parental duties," took the child back, and then handed her over to the buyer in front of the facility's main gate, according to the investigation.
This crime was belatedly uncovered during a comprehensive investigation to locate children whose births had not been registered. It was confirmed that A gave birth to three children, including the victim: the first was given up for adoption, the second was left in the care of her parents, and the third was the victim in this case.
The court stated, "Even if the birth occurred under unprepared circumstances, repeatedly abandoning one's children cannot be tolerated. However, we have taken into account that the crime occurred 13 years ago, which has somewhat diminished the timeliness of punishment."
Immediately after the sentencing, A appealed for leniency, saying, "My second child is alone at home," but the court rejected the request, instructing her to send the child to her parents' home instead.
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