Unending Violence Crimes Between Lovers and Couples... Is There No Eradication Plan?

At least 88 Women Killed by Husbands or Partners Last Year... At Least 196 Cases of Attempted Murder
Dating Violence: 6,675 in 2014 → 10,245 in 2018
Experts Urge "Recognition of Serious Social Crime"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] As incidents of men in close relationships such as husbands or lovers assaulting or killing women continue daily, criticism is rising that punishments are merely slap-on-the-wrist levels. Women's organizations are urging for amendments to related laws and tougher sentences.

Recently, an active-duty soldier on leave visited his girlfriend's home and committed murder.

According to the Anseong Police Station in Gyeonggi Province on the 21st, Private A (22) is suspected of visiting an officetel in Daedeok-dong where his girlfriend B (22) lived on the previous day (20th) and stabbing B multiple times with a weapon he had prepared in advance, killing her. The police arrested Private A at the scene and handed him over to the military police. The exact circumstances of the incident will be revealed through a military investigation.

Earlier last year, there was also a case where a man in his 60s set his wife on fire in front of his stepdaughter, resulting in her death.

C (62) was prosecuted for pouring gasoline on his wife D (61) and setting her on fire on a street in Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province, at around 12:20 a.m. on September 18 last year, and was sentenced to 25 years in prison on the 23rd of last month.

At the time of the crime, C reportedly assaulted his stepdaughter E (34), who was with D, by pouring gasoline on her as well because she did not obey him.

Last month, E posted a message titled "Demanding the truth and strict punishment for suspect Lee in the arson murder case in Bundang-gu" on the Blue House's public petition board, appealing that "C inflicted severe domestic violence on D throughout their marriage, including economic and psychological abuse and excessive household labor, except for physical violence."

The prosecution introduced a "three strikes" system for dating violence in 2018, but criticisms about its ineffectiveness persist.

As part of the government's comprehensive measures in July 2018, the dating violence three strikes system was introduced. Accordingly, in principle, offenders who commit dating violence three or more times can be formally prosecuted.

However, despite these measures, the number of dating violence crimes continues to rise steadily. According to National Police Agency statistics, the number of dating violence arrests increased significantly from 6,675 cases in 2014 to 10,303 cases in 2017. The annual figures were 6,675 in 2014, 7,692 in 2015, 8,367 in 2016, 10,303 in 2017, and 10,245 in 2018.

According to statistics analyzed by Korea Women's Hotline from media reports in March, at least 88 women were killed by men in intimate relationships such as spouses or lovers as of last year. Additionally, at least 196 women survived attempted murders and other assaults.

Photo by Yonhap News

Consequently, calls for strengthening punishments and establishing educational measures for crime prevention effects are increasing.

Some foreign countries have enacted laws related to dating violence to prevent crimes. The UK enacted the so-called "Claire's Law" in 2009, named after a victim killed by her boyfriend.

This is a domestic violence disclosure scheme that allows the disclosure and viewing of a partner's history of violence. The United States included dating violence in the Violence Against Women Act enacted in 1994, and most states have strengthened victim protection systems by stipulating "mandatory arrest" policies in domestic violence laws.

Women's organizations have continuously criticized the need to establish methods to prevent violence occurring in close relationships such as domestic and dating violence.

In October 2018, 690 women's organizations, including Korea Women's Hotline, held a "Strong Condemnation Press Conference on the State's Response to Domestic Violence," urging thorough investigations and severe punishment for perpetrators.

Women's groups pointed out, "As of 2017, the police arrest rate for domestic violence reports was less than 14%, the prosecution's indictment rate was 9.6%, and the detention rate was 0.8%. While the state complacently regards the risks of domestic violence and neglects measures to ensure victim safety, the recidivism rate of domestic violence is increasing."

Experts note that related statistics in Korea remain insufficient and emphasize the need to recognize domestic violence as a serious social crime.

On the 4th, Choi Seon-hye, head of the Women's Rights Counseling Center at Korea Women's Hotline, said on cpbc radio's "Open World Today," "Beyond mere numbers, many countries report domestic violence and have government guidelines on how to respond. Does Korea have such messages? We need to consider this. Socially, it is necessary to actively send messages encouraging people to seek support and resolve issues," she said.

Choi added, "The problem is that the state has yet to establish proper statistics on this issue. Viewing domestic violence as power and control, it is necessary to reflect on the fact that this violence occurs in the context of perpetrators dominating and controlling victims, making it a serious social crime rather than merely assessing the severity of individual acts," she emphasized.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.