April 2 (UPI) — Police in South Korea arrested a woman after she gave birth in a public restroom then threw the newborn baby out a window, according to reports.
Police in the city of Gwangju said the incident took place on Feb. 5 and involved the defendant, identified only as a 23-year-old woman, and an “accomplice,” who did “not prevent the death of the newborn,” Newsis and News 1 reported Wednesday.
Police initially sought to charge the second defendant, a man, but ultimately decided to not pursue a warrant for his arrest. Police did not say what the man’s relationship was to the defendant.
Authorities said the defendant notified her acquaintance as she began to go into labor at an Internet café in Gwangju.
In text messages, the defendant reportedly said, “I think the baby is coming out. I don’t know what to do.”
Her acquaintance said, “Do what you think is best.”
Police were called to the scene after a witness in a building opposite the café reported the incident.
“There is a lot of blood on the bathroom wall,” the witness told police, according to reports.
The defendant was subsequently rushed to a hospital.
Reports of infanticide are rising in the country.
Last week, a South Korean couple charged with the murder of their 7-month-old infant received a reduced sentence.
The two defendants, a 22-year-old husband and his 19-year-old wife, were accused of letting their daughter die from neglect.
The defendants ate meals while leaving their child to die of thirst in the next room, a South Korean court had said.
