Woman who contributed to death of stepson sentenced for illegal adoption of baby
Published: 26 May. 2025, 10:30
Updated: 26 May. 2025, 18:38
![[JOONGANG ILBO]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/05/26/afdd1313-1acf-4d35-bd18-58e75b20dbab.jpg)
[JOONGANG ILBO]
A woman in her 30s already serving time for contributing to the death of her disabled stepson by confining him in a bathtub filled with cold water has been found guilty of illegal adoption.
The Cheongju District Court sentenced the woman to eight months in prison for child welfare law violations, specifically for abandonment and neglect, according to the legal sources on Sunday.
The woman was prosecuted for handing over her one-week-old biological child on Dec. 10, 2013, at a highway rest area in Chuncheon, Gangwon, to someone she had met through an online community.
The woman had previously been sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2020 for causing the death of her 8-year-old stepson who had severe intellectual disabilities.
She had abused her stepson in multiple ways, including forcing him to stay in a baby bathtub filled with cold water for about two hours on a freezing day with the windows open, allegedly because he didn’t obey her. The abuse resulted in his death from hypothermia.
While the woman was serving her sentence, the illegal adoption came to light during a government investigation into unregistered births. Although there was a hospital birth record, her biological child had never been officially registered.
The woman reportedly stated that she gave the child up for illegal adoption because the baby was born with syphilis and she was in financial distress.
![The Cheongju District Court [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/05/26/c7ca0efc-469e-45b7-aa29-8f1c922e4850.jpg)
The Cheongju District Court [YONHAP]
In court, the woman’s legal team argued that the case should be dismissed because the statute of limitations — seven years — had expired before charges were filed last year.
However, the court rejected the argument, stating that the current law, which took effect in 2014 to prevent child abuse, allows for retroactive application. Article 34 of the Child Abuse Punishment Act stipulates that the statute of limitations for crimes of child abuse is suspended until the victim becomes an adult.
“The victim’s current whereabouts and welfare are entirely unknown due to this crime,” the court said. “But we have taken into account the fact that the defendant was in poor health at the time of the crime."
Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY KIM EUN-BIN [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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