A woman in her 20s accused of killing her newborn after giving birth at a motel has been taken into custody.
Kim Ji-hyun, chief judge in charge of warrants at the Seoul Southern District Court, issued an arrest warrant on the 14th for a woman surnamed Kim, who faces charges of child abuse resulting in death, citing "a risk of flight" after conducting a pre-detention hearing.
Kim gave birth at a motel in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, in February and called 119 herself. Paramedics dispatched to the scene found the newborn's body in a toilet in the motel bathroom.
Kim initially told police she had been unaware of her pregnancy, but the investigation revealed she had visited an obstetrics clinic before the incident. The National Forensic Service informed police that the cause of death was consistent with drowning.
Prosecutors, concluding that Kim had killed the baby, requested an arrest warrant on the 12th.
