Father's beating caused Jun-hee's death, forensic investigators say

A portrait of Ko Jun-hee, 5, at her funeral in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, Dec. 30. / Yonhap

By Bahk Eun-ji

Ko Jun-hee, the girl whose father buried her body on a hill in Gunsan, died of shock caused by physical abuse, forensic investigators said Friday.

The National Forensic Service (NFS) said she died from external shock, according to North Jeolla Province Police Agency.

Police said the information was a progress report on the autopsy.

NFS scientists found the possibility of internal bleeding from organ damage. If not treated immediately, her blood pressure would have dropped, causing her death.

The cause of death is based on a statement by the girl’s father, Ko, 37, because the body has been buried for eight months, and the NFS could not find signs of internal bleeding.

Ko claimed he kicked her ankle repeatedly before she died in March, leaving her unable to walk. Police said Ko and his common-law-wife, Lee, 36, also kicked and punched the girl.

Forensic investigators found the girl had three fractured ribs.

People with bleeding from organ damage normally complain of thirst or show difficulty in breathing.

The father said that after being beaten, the girl asked for glass of water and complained she was having difficulty breathing.

The result of the autopsy will be released in a week, police said.

On Thursday, the father told police he had beaten the girl, but denied he had killed her.

Police will send the parents to the prosecutor’s office on charges ranging from child abuse to death.