Mother Who Threw Newborn in Plastic Bag Admits Charges at Trial

A mother in her 20s facing charges of killing her newborn by placing the baby in a plastic bag and throwing it into an apartment flower bed has admitted to the charges at her first trial. The First Criminal Division of the Suncheon Branch of the Gwangju District Court held A's first hearing on the 10th, after A was indicted and detained on charges of child abuse homicide under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes.

A is accused of killing the newborn by placing the baby in a bag and throwing it into a flower bed at an apartment in Ansan-dong, Yeosu, on September 28. The baby was found by a security guard in the flower bed two days later, on the 30th of the same month.

Investigations found that A learned of the pregnancy in February this year but concealed it out of fear of those around her finding out. With no preparations for the birth or plans to raise the child, labor began earlier than expected, and A reportedly gave birth at her residence before committing the crime. During the investigation, A stated that in a state of extreme confusion and fear, she cut the umbilical cord, placed the baby in a plastic bag she saw nearby, and threw it away.

The court raised the legal assessment of the charges applied to A as an issue, saying it needed to examine whether the act of putting the baby in a bag and throwing it constituted an act of murder, and that an amendment to the indictment could be considered. A's next hearing is scheduled for December 10.