▲ This Yonhap News TV image shows the headquarters of the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency in Suwon, 30 km south of Seoul. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

infanticide-arrest warrant

Mother accused of killing 2 newborns declines attendance at arrest warrant hearing

SUWON, South Korea, June 23 (Yonhap) -- A woman accused of killing her two newborns and keeping their bodies in a refrigerator has declined to attend a court hearing set to be held Friday to determine whether an arrest warrant should be issued for her, police said.

The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency said the suspect, in her 30s, expressed her will not to attend the arrest warrant hearing scheduled to be held at a district court in Suwon, 30 kilometers south of Seoul, at 2:30 p.m.

The decision appears to mean that her appearance in the hearing would make no difference as she has already confessed to killing her babies, one boy and one girl, after their births in 2018 and 2019, respectively, and storing their bodies in a freezer at her home in Suwon.

After her arrest Wednesday, she told police that she strangled the babies due to economic hardships while raising three children. She also said she lied to her husband that she had an abortion, and the husband told police he believed what she said.

Police sought an arrest warrant for her on charges of infanticide Thursday.

Police plan to continue the investigation after a decision on the arrest warrant is made, while conducting digital forensics on the suspect's and her husband's cellphones.

Police launched the probe earlier this month after receiving a report from the Suwon city government about the babies, who had no birth registration despite having birth records.

In a similar case, the whereabouts of another undocumented baby are unknown in the city of Hwasong, 45 km south of Seoul, with the mother saying she handed over the baby to someone she got to know online. Police suspect foul play could have been involved.

The two cases came to light as the Board of Audit and Inspection sought to check the well-being of babies that have not been registered with the government. Such unregistered births are believed to amount to about 2,000 between 2015 and 2022, according to an estimate by the state auditor.

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