By Lee Suh-yoon
Public fury is erupting over a young couple accused of leaving their seven-month-old baby daughter unattended for a week at home, which led to her death.
Anger has grown even larger after it was found the mother posted photos and comments documenting nights of drinking with her friends on social media almost every day while the baby was alone.
The couple ― a 21-year-old man surnamed Cho and an 18-year-old woman surnamed Gyeon ― was arrested late Friday on charges of child abuse resulting in death, according to Incheon police. The couple left the baby alone in their apartment for six days from May 25 to 31, according to the couple's testimony and CCTV footage collected by the police.
The couple later told police they had a fight shortly before they both left the house. Neither returned for days, assuming the other partner would return to take care of the baby.
Gyeon's father first reported the death June 2. Unable to reach Cho or Gyeon by phone or through messages, he visited the apartment and found the baby dead and placed inside a blanket-covered paper box in the living room. Police officers said the baby had scratches on its hands, legs and head, likely caused by the Maltese or Siberian husky dogs raised by the couple.
The exact cause of death is unclear. Although the baby was not fed for days, an initial opinion by the National Forensic Service said neither starvation nor external wounds seemed to be likely causes. The final results of the autopsy will come out within a month.
At first the couple told police they woke up to find the baby dead May 31, a day after they found scratches on her body, saying their dogs might have inflicted the injuries while they were out shopping. However, CCTV footage outside their home showed the couple was not home for days, only returning May 31, at different times, to find the baby dead.
The case has sparked sharp criticism against the young parents online, particularly against the mother, who left various social media "tracks" detailing her life ― mostly dinners and drinks with friends ― in the days leading up to the baby's death. Around the same time, the father was playing computer games at internet cafes, according to his testimony.
Both Gyeon and Cho's Facebook pages have since been flooded with thousands of angry comments like "You are a murderer," "You do not deserve to be called parents," and "You should be in jail and punished for the rest of your life."
This is not the first such tragedy involving young or underage parents and babies dying due to extreme neglect, as more stories have been steadily surfacing in local media.
According to data from the health and welfare ministry on 18,700 registered child abuse cases in 2016, common features have emerged. Of the offending parents, 36 percent lacked proper childrearing education, 19 percent suffered from socioeconomic stress and 28 percent lacked proper jobs ― all-too-familiar traits for teenage parents.
Gyeon's Facebook posts in the weeks leading up to the incident were indicative of the worsening conflict with Cho. In several posts of increasing intensity, she accused Cho of cheating on her and staying away from the house for days.
"She's my baby and innocent but I don't like her anymore because I gave birth to her with you," she wrote two weeks before the baby's death.
Public fury is erupting over a young couple accused of leaving their seven-month-old baby daughter unattended for a week at home, which led to her death.
Anger has grown even larger after it was found the mother posted photos and comments documenting nights of drinking with her friends on social media almost every day while the baby was alone.
 |
| Cho, 21, left, and Gyeon, 18, who left their 7-month-old baby alone at home for days, are led out of Michuhol District Police Station in Incheon to attend a court hearing on arrest warrants for them, Friday. The court issued the warrants later in the day. / Yonhap |
The couple ― a 21-year-old man surnamed Cho and an 18-year-old woman surnamed Gyeon ― was arrested late Friday on charges of child abuse resulting in death, according to Incheon police. The couple left the baby alone in their apartment for six days from May 25 to 31, according to the couple's testimony and CCTV footage collected by the police.
The couple later told police they had a fight shortly before they both left the house. Neither returned for days, assuming the other partner would return to take care of the baby.
Gyeon's father first reported the death June 2. Unable to reach Cho or Gyeon by phone or through messages, he visited the apartment and found the baby dead and placed inside a blanket-covered paper box in the living room. Police officers said the baby had scratches on its hands, legs and head, likely caused by the Maltese or Siberian husky dogs raised by the couple.
The exact cause of death is unclear. Although the baby was not fed for days, an initial opinion by the National Forensic Service said neither starvation nor external wounds seemed to be likely causes. The final results of the autopsy will come out within a month.
At first the couple told police they woke up to find the baby dead May 31, a day after they found scratches on her body, saying their dogs might have inflicted the injuries while they were out shopping. However, CCTV footage outside their home showed the couple was not home for days, only returning May 31, at different times, to find the baby dead.
The case has sparked sharp criticism against the young parents online, particularly against the mother, who left various social media "tracks" detailing her life ― mostly dinners and drinks with friends ― in the days leading up to the baby's death. Around the same time, the father was playing computer games at internet cafes, according to his testimony.
Both Gyeon and Cho's Facebook pages have since been flooded with thousands of angry comments like "You are a murderer," "You do not deserve to be called parents," and "You should be in jail and punished for the rest of your life."
This is not the first such tragedy involving young or underage parents and babies dying due to extreme neglect, as more stories have been steadily surfacing in local media.
According to data from the health and welfare ministry on 18,700 registered child abuse cases in 2016, common features have emerged. Of the offending parents, 36 percent lacked proper childrearing education, 19 percent suffered from socioeconomic stress and 28 percent lacked proper jobs ― all-too-familiar traits for teenage parents.
Gyeon's Facebook posts in the weeks leading up to the incident were indicative of the worsening conflict with Cho. In several posts of increasing intensity, she accused Cho of cheating on her and staying away from the house for days.
"She's my baby and innocent but I don't like her anymore because I gave birth to her with you," she wrote two weeks before the baby's death.
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