Couple Who Abandoned Newborn Baby Receive Suspended Sentences

A couple who abandoned their newborn baby in front of a daycare center received suspended prison sentences on the 31st, meaning the sentences will be waived if they stay out of trouble for a set period. The court found their culpability was not light, but took into account that they were in an extreme state of confusion after giving birth alone and unexpectedly while in the country illegally, and that they have since registered the child's birth and shown a willingness to raise the child.

The two, who were in a relationship and living in South Korea illegally, were indicted on charges of giving birth to a baby at a residence in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, on October 23 last year and abandoning the baby in front of a nearby daycare center the following morning. Investigators found that they abandoned the baby due to a lack of financial means and the burden of being unable to tell their parents about the pregnancy.

Regarding B, Judge Choi said, "By helping A abandon the child, the defendant's culpability is not light," but added that "the court took into account, as a favorable circumstance, that the defendant was under the mistaken belief that the victim child was her own biological child."