Close to 1,000 'ghost baby' cases under investigation: police

▲ A police line blocks the entrance to a vegetable garden, where a woman in her 40s is suspected of abandoning her baby's body in Gimpo, west of Seoul, on July 6, 2023. (Yonhap)

ghost baby-police

Close to 1,000 'ghost baby' cases under investigation: police

SEOUL, July 10 (Yonhap) -- The number of unregistered baby cases under police investigation has risen to 939, the National Office of Investigation said Monday, as a nationwide campaign is under way to confirm the well-being of more than 2,000 undocumented babies born since 2015.

A total of 1,069 "ghost baby" cases had been reported to police as of 5 p.m. Friday, and 939 of them are currently under investigation, the office said.

The latest figure marks an increase of 159 additional cases under investigation since the tally at 2 p.m. Thursday.

Of the total cases filed, 34 babies have been confirmed dead, 19 of which had no signs of foul play.

Police investigations are under way into suspected crimes involving 11 other dead babies, including two deaths reported in Seoul.

Four other cases were referred to the prosecution after police found criminal suspicions involving their parents in the deaths of the newborns.

The police said they are focused on finding the whereabouts of 782 undocumented babies.

Police have been expanding their probe into cases of undocumented babies who have medical records of birth but no official birth registration, and the government is conducting a nationwide campaign to check the well-being of more than 2,000 unregistered babies.

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