12 confirmed deaths, South Korean police investigate 193 cases of "ghost baby" involving the death of a female infant. Police | Baby
The South Korean National Police Agency reported on the 4th that 193 cases involving "ghost babies" with unregistered registered residence were under investigation, and 12 people were confirmed dead. After the media exposed the "Suwon Freezer Infant Death Case" last month, the South Korean government has launched nationwide investigations.
The National Police Department stated that a total of 209 reports involving "ghost babies" have been received at this stage, and an investigation is currently underway on 193 of them. The so-called "ghost baby" refers to the baby who has a birth record in the hospital but has no registered residence. The police have confirmed the deaths of 12 people, obtained the whereabouts of 20 people, and are still searching for the whereabouts of 177 people.
Among the 12 deaths, the police determined that 7 of them were not related to a crime and launched a criminal investigation into the deaths of the remaining 5. Among the 20 people who were found missing, the police confirmed that 9 of them received good care and decided to close the case.
On the 4th, Seoul police also reported information related to the "Ghost Baby". In the Seoul area, the police are investigating 38 cases of "ghost babies", of which 27 are suspected of being abandoned.
The South Korean media exposed the "Suwon Freezer Infant Death Case" last month, causing public shock. The police reported on June 30th that the suspect in the case, a woman in her thirties from Suwon City, has been arrested. She gave birth to a baby girl and a baby boy in November 2018 and November 2019, respectively. The day after giving birth, she killed the baby and hid it in the freezer at home for several years. According to the suspect, she killed the baby due to economic difficulties and falsely claimed to have miscarried to her husband.
The South Korean Parliament passed a bill on June 30, requiring hospitals to inform the government of the birth of babies so as to register registered residence for babies in time. The bill aims to eliminate the phenomenon of parents deliberately not registering their babies with registered residence. According to Yonhap News Agency, the occurrence of cases of unregistered infants being killed or abandoned, such as the Suwon Freezer Infant Death Case, has accelerated the relevant legislative process.