Mr. Yang is at the center of a horrific child abuse scandal that rocked Daejeon since 2021.
The 29-year-old stepfather is accused of abusing a 20-month-old girl who was found dead in an icebox on July 9, 2021. The victim’s grandmother discovered the body in a one-room apartment in the Daedeok District.
Investigations revealed the child died on June 15, 2021. The autopsy pointed to sustained abuse and possible sexual violence.
Mr. Yang, a known history sheeter with prior arrests for fraud and theft, lived with the baby and her mother after his release from prison. DNA tests confirmed he was not the biological father.
He reportedly assaulted both the mother and the child repeatedly. The grandmother, after losing contact with the family, tracked them down and found the child’s body.
Mr. Yang was arrested three days later at a Daejeon motel. Initially denying charges, he later admitted during a polygraph test to beating the child for over an hour and acknowledged possible sexual assault but claimed memory loss due to alcohol.
Prosecutors charged him with fatal abuse and suspected child sexual assault. In December 2021, they pushed for the death penalty plus 15 years of chemical castration.
The trial court sentenced him to 30 years, factoring in his past and remorse. The prosecution appealed.
On May 27, 2022, the Daejeon High Court overturned the sentence and gave Mr. Yang a life sentence.
The child’s mother got 3 years in prison for abuse and covering up the crime. She was released in 2024. Mr. Yang remains behind bars.
“He had beaten the child for over an hour,” police reported after the polygraph test.
This brutal case continues to haunt the Daejeon community as authorities monitor Mr. Yang’s incarceration closely.
