Woman in South Korea held for strangling her 2 infants, storing their bodies in refrigerator

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) — South Korea authorities arrested a woman on Friday after she confessed to strangling to death her two infants and storing their bodies in a refrigerator about four years ago.

The 30-year-old suspect had already confessed to the crime during her grilling following her initial arrest on Wednesday in Suwon, 30 kilometers (19 miles) south of the capital Seoul, and she refused to appear in court on Friday morning, according to local media.

The warrant was issued by the Suwon District Court after she failed to appear in court, citing concerns that she would flee, Yonhap News reported.

On Thursday, police sought her arrest on charges of infanticide after confirming that the suspect "expressed her unwillingness" to attend the hearing following her confession to the crime.

Earlier, after her arrest on Wednesday, the woman "confessed" to strangling her infants, a boy and a girl born in 2018 and 2019, respectively, the news agency said, adding that she later stored their bodies in a freezer at her residence in Suwon.

The woman told police she was having financial difficulties raising her three children, ages 12, 10, and eight, and that she had lied to her husband about two abortions.

Police will continue their investigation, looking into digital forensic analysis of the suspect's and her husband's cellphones.

South Korean authorities are also investigating into unregistered babies in the country.

The country’s Board of Audit and Inspection estimates approximately 2,000 unregistered births occurred between 2015 and 2022.