December 19, 2025
SEOUL – Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday ordered the formal arrest of a Vietnamese national in her 20s accused of abandoning her newborn, leading to the infant’s death.
The suspect is accused of murder by child abuse for putting her child in a paper bag and leaving the baby outside one of the buildings at the Dongguk University campus in Seoul at around 6:25 p.m. Sunday.
The temperature of the city that day had fallen to below freezing at one point, and the child died after being taken to a hospital for emergency medical treatment by the police.
The court said that there is a substantial risk of the suspect fleeing, but rejected the arrest warrant request for her friend, who allegedly aided the suspect. Based on the testimonies and text messages collected by police, the court said it cannot be proven that the two conspired to commit the crime.
It was reported that the suspect entered the country on Friday for a short-term Korean language course. She gave birth to the child in one of the university’s bathrooms.