A baby's death casts shadow on South Korea's adoption industry

Prosecutors raise charges to murder for mother suspected of abuse

20210112 a baby who was killed in Korea (Main)

A photograph of Jeong-in is displayed outside a Seoul court on Wednesday. Her adoptive mother is now on trial for murder over allegations that abuse of the infant led to death. (Photo by Grace Moon)

GRACE MOON, Contributing writer

SEOUL -- Protesters with the phrase "death penalty" painted in red on their face masks chanted and erupted in shrieks as they counted down to the start of a trial at Seoul Southern District Court on Wednesday morning.

The crowd was waiting to see if prosecutors would upgrade the charge to murder for a woman whose alleged brutal abuse led to the death of her adopted child, Jeong-in, in October at the age of only 16 months.

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