There was suspected sexual abuse as well.
Recently, the case of a stepfather abusing a 20-month-old girl in Daejeon resurfaced in Korean media, triggering horror and pain in the public consciousness.
The incident occurred in 2021, in the Daedeok District of Daejeon. On July 9, the body of a 20-month-old girl was discovered in an icebox in a one-room apartment by the child’s grandmother. The primary suspect was Mr. Yang, the 29-year-old stepfather of the child.
Investigations revealed that the child had died on June 15, 2021, and the autopsy showed possibilities of sustained abuse and sexual violence.
Mr. Yang was revealed to be a history sheeter, with multiple previous incarcerations for fraud and theft. After his release from prison, he and his partner lived at her mother’s residence along with the infant. Authorities later confirmed it through DNA analysis that Mr. Yang was not the biological father of the child.
As the probe progressed, it unveiled an alarming pattern of domestic abuse. Mr. Yang had repeatedly assaulted both his partner and her child. The grandmother, who had lost contact with the family, tracked them down eventually and was the first one to discover the child’s body in the icebox.
Three days after the discovery, Mr. Yang was arrested at a motel in Daejeon. Initially, he declined all the charges, but eventually admitted during a polygraph test that he had beaten the child for over an hour. He also acknowledged the possibility of sexual assault, but he denied remembering it due to alcohol consumption.
Prosecutors charged Mr. Yang with fatal abuse and suspected child sexual assault. In December 2021, prosecutors sought the death penalty for him, along with 15 years of chemical castration. Initially, the trial court sentenced him to just 30 years in prison, citing his troubled past and expressions of remorse.
After the prosecution appealed the ruling, the Daejeon High Court overturned it on May 27, 2022, and imposed a life sentence on Yang. The mother of the victim was also sentenced to three years in prison for her participation in the abuse and concealment of the child’s body. She got released in 2024, while Yang is still in jail.
