Family Dispute Over Chores Leads to Weapon Attack on Cousin... Crime Alert Among Relatives During Chuseok Holiday

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] A man in his 40s who swung a weapon at his cousin in a fit of rage after a family dispute on the 7th was arrested by the police. The Yeongdeungpo Police Station in Seoul arrested a man in his 40s, identified as Mr. A, on charges of attempted murder and is currently investigating him. Mr. A is accused of wielding a weapon in anger after a disagreement arose while talking about family issues with his cousin, Mr. B, at his home in Daerim-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, around 2:30 p.m. on the 6th. Mr. A reported the incident to 112 himself immediately after the crime and was arrested on the spot by the responding police officers. The victim, Mr. B, was transported to a nearby hospital and is reported to be in stable condition.

Reports of crimes among relatives sharply increase during the Lunar New Year and Chuseok holiday periods compared to usual. The police have also elevated the status of their public safety situation managers and are making thorough efforts to respond to crimes during the holiday seasons.

According to the National Police Agency on the 9th, reports of domestic violence and child abuse during holiday periods were higher than usual. Over the past five years, the number of domestic violence reports during the Chuseok holiday were 2,447 in 2017, 3,003 in 2018, 3,125 in 2019, and 2,729 in 2020. This is about 47% higher than the average daily number of domestic violence reports.

The situation during the Lunar New Year holidays was similar. The number of domestic violence reports nationwide during the Lunar New Year holidays were 1,076 in 2017, 1,032 in 2018, 954 in 2019, and 865 in 2020, which is about 1.4 times the average daily number of domestic violence reports.

It is analyzed that frequent domestic violence occurs during the holidays due to excessive drinking or the eruption of latent conflicts such as issues related to parental support. On September 18 last year, in Seongdang-dong, Dalseo-gu, Daegu, a man in his 60s, Mr. C, was arrested on the spot on charges of special threats after wielding a weapon at his wife while intoxicated. It was investigated that Mr. C had a major argument with his wife because she had shared many pumpkin leaves with neighbors.

On February 11, the first day of the Lunar New Year holiday that same year, Mr. D was also arrested by the police after swinging a weapon at his mother who had advised him to seek hospital treatment. The court sentenced Mr. D to five years in prison and ordered medical treatment, stating, "The attempted murder against his own mother is a serious crime, and the victim suffered considerable pain."

Conflicts and domestic violence occurring during holidays also lead to an increase in divorces. According to the 'Divorce Statistics for the Last Five Years' by the Court Administration and Statistics Korea, the number of divorces in February to March and October to November, right after the Lunar New Year and Chuseok holidays, was on average 11.5% higher than the previous month.

Professor Lee Geon-su of the Department of Police Science at Baekseok University said, "Domestic violence is a serious issue in our society and is one of the most frequent crimes during holiday periods," adding, "It is necessary to recognize violence within families as a serious crime and to adopt an attitude of mutual consideration."

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