Women Assaulted with Fists and Feet... Police and Political Figures Present Pretend 'Don't Know'

Police and Political Figures Present at Assault Incident During Drinking Gathering but Victim Neglected

CCTV footage capturing the assault scene. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] An incident occurred in Gwangju where a woman in her 40s was indiscriminately assaulted by a wealthy man who was drinking with her, but claims have been raised that the police and political figures present at the scene ignored the victim.

According to a report by Yonhap News on the 14th, a woman A (43), who plans and hosts local events, accompanied a drinking gathering in Dong-gu, Gwangju on the evening of the 12th at the urging of a senior and was indiscriminately assaulted by a wealthy man.

A testified that the wealthy man suddenly became angry for unknown reasons and then violently attacked her. A said that the wealthy man B, who works in construction, businessman C, a former special aide to a member of the National Assembly, and current police officer D were all present at the drinking party and appeared to be familiar with each other.

At the gathering, B mentioned a prominent ruling party lawmaker and advised, "If you want to succeed, you have to know how to line up," but A did not heed the advice. Soon after, B suddenly stood up and swung his fist toward A. This scene was recorded on the closed-circuit television (CCTV) inside the bar.

Startled by the sudden attack, A tried to report it on her mobile phone, but B, who had gone outside, returned and committed a second assault. The indiscriminate violence continued, with B hitting A’s face with both hands, kicking her face, grabbing her hair, and striking her face repeatedly.

Businessman C, a former special aide to a lawmaker, was present at the scene but only tried to stop B and did not properly check on A’s condition. Police officer D, who was also at the drinking party, did not check on A, who was lying on the floor, but instead gathered his belongings and appeared to try to leave the scene.

Ultimately, B’s indiscriminate assault ended when police officers from the local precinct, who were called to the scene, arrived.

B reportedly told the responding officers that he assaulted A out of anger because she was "ill-mannered."

After being hospitalized, A complained that not only was the assault absurd, but she was also experiencing secondary harm, such as being pressured to settle through people around her. A said, "Maybe because they have power, people around me are contacting me to urge a settlement," adding, "I have never behaved badly, but they are placing all the blame for the assault on me alone."

She continued, "At the time of the assault, besides the perpetrator, there were other people such as police officers and political figures present, but they did not properly intervene," adding, "Those who responded passively or neglected the assault are no different from accomplices."

Meanwhile, regarding this matter, C said, "I only worked in a lawmaker’s office in the past and it has nothing to do with this; I am currently engaged in other work," adding, "I actively tried to stop the assault, but while I was attending to other matters like reporting to the police, additional violence occurred." D also explained, "The gathering was getting long, and I was about to leave when the assault happened," adding, "I thought the situation was over and left."

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