Already Strangers... Threats, Assault, and Murder Toward Ex-Girlfriend

Fined for Sending Letter and Attempting Contact with Ex-Girlfriend
30s Man Prosecuted for Confinement and Assault After Breakup
Killed and Secretly Buried in Mountain After She Met Another Man

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] Crimes targeting ex-girlfriends continue to occur. Those who not only threatened and assaulted their ex-girlfriends but also murdered them ultimately did not escape punishment.

According to the court on the 26th, Judge Yoon Hye-jung of the Seoul Western District Court Criminal Division 10 sentenced Choi Mo (35), who was charged with violating the Minor Offenses Act for sending handwritten letters and persistently approaching his ex-girlfriend, to a fine of 100,000 won on the 22nd.

Choi was tried for sending handwritten letters and attempting to approach his ex-girlfriend A a total of nine times over three months from May to August this year.

Choi and A became a couple in March 2010 and dated for about two and a half years before breaking up. However, about seven years after their breakup, in May of this year, Choi met A, handed her a handwritten letter, and said, "I was released. I missed you," adding, "I was in prison for two and a half years on attempted murder charges."

Although A expressed her refusal to meet, Choi sent nine letters. It was also investigated that he waited at a cafe to meet A.

Judge Yoon stated, "The defendant repeatedly attempted to approach the other party against her explicit will, demanding meetings and relationships or lurking and waiting."

In Jeju, a man in his 30s who became angry after being told to break up was prosecuted for detaining, assaulting, and attempting to murder his ex-girlfriend.

Jeju District Prosecutors’ Office arrested and indicted Kang Mo (37) on the 1st on charges of attempted murder, special confinement, special threats, and special assault.

Kang is accused of dragging his ex-girlfriend B, who requested a breakup on the 3rd of last month, to his home, detaining her until the 5th, and repeatedly assaulting her with a blunt weapon. He is also charged with attempted murder of B.

Kang is known to have a criminal record of 21 offenses, including assaulting girlfriends who notified him of breakups in 2014 and 2016. Kang fled immediately after the incident but was caught by the police three days later while traveling with an acquaintance in a vehicle. During his escape, he only used cash and turned off his phone to avoid leaving traces. He hid at an acquaintance’s house and moved using an acquaintance’s vehicle. The police are also investigating two acquaintances who helped Kang evade arrest.

In Gwangmyeong City, a man in his 20s was arrested on charges of murder and corpse abandonment after killing his ex-girlfriend and secretly burying her in a mountain forest. C (27) is accused of killing his ex-girlfriend and transporting her body in a van to bury it in a mountain forest.

C told the police that he committed the crime out of anger after learning that his ex-girlfriend was seeing someone else after their breakup. It is reported that both C and his ex-girlfriend are North Korean defectors.

Meanwhile, stalking crimes targeting women continue to occur, but the punishment level is low, leading to growing calls for the enactment of a Stalking Punishment Act.

Stalking crimes are regulated under the Minor Offenses Act and punishable by a fine of up to 100,000 won, detention, or a minor fine. However, as stalking has escalated to more serious crimes such as assault and murder, there have been calls to increase the severity of punishments. The National Assembly has proposed the Stalking Punishment Act 14 times since 1999 but has not passed it.

Recently, the political sphere has begun to strengthen penalties for stalking crimes. In the 21st National Assembly, the People Power Party’s Special Committee on Sexual Violence Countermeasures proposed the Stalking Punishment Act as its first bill. The Ministry of Justice also recently submitted a bill for the enactment of the Stalking Punishment Act as an agenda item at a vice-ministerial meeting, showing efforts to strengthen penalties for stalking crimes. The bill includes provisions to punish stalking crimes with imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of up to 30 million won, and if weapons are used, imprisonment of up to five years or a fine of up to 50 million won.

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