South Korean pediatrician whose life was cut short after being subjected to pain that would make an adult pass out is abused to death

 The incident involves the case of a child abuse resulting in the death of a 16-month-old girl who was adopted by a couple named Jang Ha-young and An Seong-eun from the adoption agency 'Holt Children's Welfare Society' in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, South Korea.

There were three instances of suspected child abuse reported on May 25, 2020, June 29, 2020, and September 23, 2020. However, the police did not thoroughly investigate the reports. In the second report, the couple made absurd excuses, such as leaving the child unattended in the car and claiming it was "American-style sleep training." They also tried to justify the child's injuries by attributing them to Mongolian spots or atopic dermatitis. On September 23, which turned out to be the final and critical moment, the child, Jeong-in, returned to daycare after a two-month absence, showing a weight loss of 1kg and clear signs of abuse. The daycare teacher, recognizing the signs, took the child to a nearby pediatric clinic, where the doctor also suspected child abuse and reported it to the police. However, the police and the adoptive parents simply visited the hospital the parents usually frequented, received treatment for a minor ailment, and dismissed the concerns.

On October 13, 2020, at the age of 16 months, Jeong-in was subjected to over an hour of abuse from 9:01 a.m. to 10:15 a.m., under the pretext that she refused to eat. She was then transferred to the emergency room of Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital in a state of cardiac arrest and pronounced dead at 6:40 p.m. on the same day. Before September 23, medical staff (excluding the regular doctor visited by the adoptive parents) had already reported suspicions of child abuse to the police after observing the child's abdominal and head injuries. Fortunately, this time, a different doctor conducted the investigation, and since the child had died, the evidence could not be concealed, leading to involvement of the National Institute of Scientific Investigation. The autopsy results confirmed that Jeong-in had suffered fatal injuries due to external force. Her pancreas was severed, and her skull, collarbone, and femur were all fractured.

The victim's process of death is extremely gruesome. Firstly, the direct cause of death was the rupture of vital organs, including intraperitoneal hemorrhage, small and large intestine rupture, and pancreatic transection. These severe injuries typically occur due to a sudden and powerful external impact, such as drowning or a traffic accident. In particular, for the pancreas to be transected, the abdomen would have to be compressed to the extent that it practically touches the spine. While the intraperitoneal hemorrhage and pancreatic transection occurred on the day of death, the ruptures of the small and large intestines were estimated to have been ongoing prior to that. Therefore, emergency medicine specialist Nam Gung-in presumed that "Jeong-in would have experienced severe abdominal pain and nausea, making it extremely painful for her to consume food even the day before her death."

Even the emergency room doctors were shocked by the CT images, which showed extensive abdominal bleeding and pockets of air below the abdominal muscles due to the ruptured intestine. When the intestine bursts and air escapes, even robust adult men reportedly experience excruciating pain and agony. That was not all. Fibrosis findings indicated that some organs had previously suffered damage at least a week before, followed by recovery, and there were traces of approximately 10 fractures (in the arms and chest). The fracture sites included the clavicle, ribs, and both elbows. Particularly, the fracture in one elbow suggested a defensive response commonly seen when the arm is bent and raised to protect against an impact from above or when an adult forcefully throws a child's arm.

Fractures of the ribs are uncommon unless there is external force because the ribs have joints to facilitate expansion during respiration, and the lungs inside provide cushioning with air. However, there were nearly continuous fractures along the front of the ribs. This indicates the possibility of strong blows with a fist or forcefully colliding with a sharp edge while falling forward. Considering the circumstances of the case, it is possible that the chest was kicked even before the victim's death.

The clavicle fractures are also not uncommon, but they mostly occur when a person falls heavily and the impact is transmitted to the shoulder while incorrectly gripping the arm. Considering the presence of fractures in the same arm's elbow and upper arm bone, it is more likely that a person fell heavily from the shoulder or was kicked, stepped on, or hit by an object. The perpetrator claimed to have only lightly struck a few times, but experts assert that "it is impossible for organ transection, skull fractures, and clavicle fractures to occur with such level of assault." In particular, medical professionals diagnosed the child's fracture condition as "fracture findings that can never occur in a child who receives normal care." This is because normal parents would not leave their child with as many as 10 fractures. Unless the child jumped from a balcony window or experienced a serious accident like a traffic collision, or a heavy object like a TV fell on them, such extensive multiple fractures involving various body parts cannot occur under non-serious circumstances. If multiple fractures with a time lag exist, aside from the possibility of the parents breaking the bones, there is no other explanation unless it is congenital osteoporosis.

Based on the experiment involving an adult woman with a similar physique and weight of approximately 56 kg as the perpetrator, it was concluded that to deliver this level of impact to a baby (measured using an impact measurement mat in the experiment), the baby must be laid on the floor and the woman must jump off a sofa and kick the baby's abdomen or back with her body weight. The implication of this experiment's results is that it is difficult for a perpetrator, who is an average-sized woman, to deliver an impact severe enough to cause pancreatic transection by lightly hitting or accidentally dropping the baby. It is more likely that the perpetrator intentionally attacked the victim with strong force, even if it wasn't in the described posture, by applying their body weight.

In such circumstances, organ ruptures, particularly diaphragmatic hemorrhage and pancreatic transection, which became the cause of death, are highly critical, indicating a high likelihood of occurring on the day of death. However, according to Dr. Nam Gung-in, an emergency medicine specialist, "Based on the CCTV footage from the daycare center, it can be inferred that the child was already in a state of severe pain, causing intense nausea and discomfort, to the point where they couldn't even consume water or milk. Even on the day before death, if they had come to the hospital, they could have been saved." The daycare center teachers even pleaded, "The child is not well, please take them to the hospital first," but the adoptive mother and father ignored all those requests and did not take the child to the hospital. On the day of death, Ms. Jang leisurely took the dying child in a regular van taxi instead of an ambulance. The taxi driver, realizing the severity of the situation, even asked if they should call emergency services (119), but Jang Ha-young, in a nonchalant manner, only responded, "Isn't a taxi faster than 119?" After several persuasions from the driver, they finally contacted emergency services. Even while the victim was dying, the adoptive mother was calm enough to retrieve her own hat from the van taxi and at the moment of death, she was casually leaving comments ordering fish cake for a joint purchase. Furthermore, two days after Jung In's death, instead of mourning or comforting the child, they casually celebrated the birthday of the adoptive father's pastor, Jang XX, with a wine party. The family members also laughed and celebrated during the wine party, showing no signs of mourning or comforting Jung In after her death. Thus, it is evident that Jung In received extremely inhumane treatment even after her death. This child, who was subjected to unwarranted abuse, suffered excruciating pain as their internal organs tore apart and dissolved. Ultimately, the child experienced a highly inhumane treatment during their final moments and even after their death.

A court has sentenced the adoptive mother, Yang, to life imprisonment for the continuous abuse that led to the death of 16-month-old adopted child, Jung In.

On the 14th, in the sentencing trial at the Seoul Southern District Court's 13th Criminal Division, presiding judge Lee Sang-ju declared Yang (35), the adoptive mother, guilty of the main charge of murder and sentenced her to life imprisonment.

The judge stated, "It is deemed that the defendant applied strong blunt force by stepping on the victim's abdomen while the victim was lying down. As a result, we can acknowledge the occurrence of pancreatic transection and diaphragmatic rupture on the same day."

Furthermore, the judge explained, "It could have been reasonably anticipated that fatal injuries could result from applying strong impact to the already damaged abdomen of the victim. Taking into account the defendant's failure to report the assault to emergency services (119), among other factors, it can be concluded that there was unintentional but intentional intent to commit murder by the defendant."

The judge elaborated, "The defendant subjected the victim to continuous abuse starting about a month after the adoption, resulting in an unimaginable act that led to the victim's death. Given the inhumane crime that ruthlessly trampled upon the dignity and worth of a human being, it is appropriate to isolate the defendant indefinitely from society to reflect on her wrongdoing."

Alongside Yang, the adoptive father, Ahn, was sentenced to five years in prison. Yang was arrested and prosecuted for repeatedly assaulting and abusing her adopted daughter, Jung In, from June to October of the previous year, ultimately causing her death on October 13 by delivering a strong blow to the abdomen.

While acknowledging the continuous abuse and assault by Yang on Jung In, the defense attorney emphasized that there was no evidence to support the claim of an intent to kill or inflicting strong impacts such as stepping on her abdomen. The defense also argued that the diaphragmatic rupture and pancreatic transection, which were the causes of death, could have occurred during the process of performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

However, the court determined that it is unlikely for severe injuries such as pancreatic transection and diaphragmatic rupture to occur from dropping the child or performing CPR. The judge deemed it reasonable to believe that the defendant applied strong blunt force to the victim's abdomen using her hands or feet, stating that injuries on Jung In's right thigh, head, and coccyx were difficult to attribute to everyday activities and concluded that the acts of assault were proven.

Ahn, the adoptive father, who was also indicted for enabling his wife's abuse and assault on Jung In, in violation of the Child Welfare Act, was sentenced to five years in prison and was remanded into custody after the trial.

The judge criticized Ahn, stating, "As the victim's adoptive father, he was in a position to be more aware of his wife's caregiving attitude and the victim's condition than anyone else, yet he only makes excuses claiming ignorance of the abuse." The judge further explained, "There is a significant possibility of blame for allowing the abuse to persist for a long period without taking any measures to protect the child."

The judge expressed, "By forcefully stepping on the abdomen of a defenseless 16-month-old girl, whose ability to defend herself is nonexistent, and considering that vital organs are located there, the defendant must have been fully aware of or anticipated the possibility of death resulting from such actions. At the very least, it can be concluded that there was unintentional but intentional intent to commit murder."

Previously, Yang was indicted on charges of murder and child abuse resulting in death, while Ahn was charged with violating the Child Welfare Act. Last month, the prosecution sought the death penalty for Yang and a sentence of 7 years and 6 months in prison for Ahn.

Meanwhile, ahead of the first-instance verdict, there was public outrage when the incarcerated adoptive mother's letter was revealed. The letter, sent to her husband while in prison, contained discussions about their biological daughter's English education and stock investments. In the letter, Yang mentioned, "It would be good to read Bible stories to our daughter in English, like storytelling. It's not enough to just show her videos or books in Korean because she enjoys it. We might immigrate, so please pay attention to our daughter's English education. You managed the stock investments well. Actually, I already knew it would happen. I believe that God, who is abundant, will provide according to our needs. It's amazing that last night's news reported a general decline in stocks."