”If only society had helped” - South Korean mother who killed 7-month-old twins receives reduced sentence on appeal

A mother in her 40s who murdered her twin children after suffering from her husband's verbal abuse and the stress of caring for them alone has had her sentence reduced on appeal.
On the 16th, the Gwangju High Court announced that victim A, who was on trial for murder,
In the appeal trial of the plaintiff (44), the original sentence of eight years imprisonment was overturned and a sentence of five years imprisonment was imposed. The appeal trial court judge stated, "It cannot be said that all the responsibility lies solely with defendant A. He had the generous support and assistance of his family and society.
"I cannot shake the regret that the tragedy could have been prevented if he had done so," he said, adding, "I feel that he must live the rest of his life with the guilt of having killed a child with his own hands."
The court ruled that the sentence was decided again after taking into consideration the fact that the husband regretted his mistake and pleaded for leniency. Defendant A was shot at a car in Yeosu City, South Jeolla Province, at around 8:30 a.m. on November 18 last year.
The defendant is suspected of causing the deaths of 7-month-old twin children in an apartment in the area. Defendant A was constantly fighting with her husband, and after two miscarriages, the twins were finally born, but they were extremely premature.
She had to go to the hospital regularly, and during her outpatient treatment, the doctor told her that there was a possibility that her child would be permanently disabled.
Defendant A was raising her child alone and suffered from depression. The stress and verbal abuse from her husband made her feel pessimistic about her life.
At the closing hearing on August 27, defendant A said, "I know how cold society views people with disabilities. I was worried that my twins would suffer such pain."
"On the other hand, my husband didn't help with childcare at all and was always criticizing me, saying, 'Everyone else is doing it, so why can't you do it?'"
Defendant A said, "When my husband said, 'I'm going to put the twins in a facility,' I felt like my previous devotion was being denied. This situation was what I felt after giving birth.
"These incidents piled up and my body and mind broke down," he added. After killing the twins, defendant A tried to take his own life in another room before turning himself in to the police.