Vietnamese woman leaves baby outside restaurant

[SHUTTERSTOCK]

A Vietnamese woman in her 20s abandoned her newborn child outside in Korea’s cold winter weather, according to Deokjin Police Precinct in Jeonju, North Jeolla, on Wednesday.

The mother admitted to the crime after police investigated her for leaving a 10-day-old baby girl in front of a restaurant in the downtown area of Jeonju at 8:10 p.m. on Dec. 19, saying her “incapability to raise the child” was the main reason for the abandonment.

The baby was found and reported to the police by the restaurant owner.

According to the police, the mother arrived in Korea for an exchange program at a university in Jeonju.

Details on the father of the baby have not been mentioned.

“The woman is refusing to give specific details,” the police said. “As she does not speak Korean, further investigations on the crime will be carried out with interpreters.”

The police plan to apply for an arrest warrant against the woman.

The baby was found wrapped in a blanket and was reported to have no special health issues despite the temperature at the time in Jeonju being minus 1.8 degrees Celsius (29 degrees Fahrenheit).

The police will transfer the child to the Jeonju City government to send her to a social institution for care.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]