Suspected of Assault and Aggravated Assault
[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Gyumin] A man in his 40s who assaulted a Japanese woman he lived with, causing her cardiac arrest and unconsciousness, has been sentenced to prison.
The Criminal Division 12 of the Seoul Western District Court (Presiding Judge Andongbeom) announced on the 20th that it sentenced Mr. A (41), a man in his 40s charged with assault and grievous bodily harm, to three years in prison.
The court stated, “The defendant assaulted the victim because she frequently visited his home and annoyed him, causing the victim to suffer acute kidney injury, pulmonary embolism, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and cardiac arrest. The victim has not regained consciousness to this day. The victim’s family also appears to have suffered great pain and shock, and the defendant has not been ultimately forgiven by the victim or her family.”
However, the court added, “The defendant admitted to the crime and deeply reflected on his wrongdoing. It appears the crime was somewhat impulsive. After the victim collapsed, he took active rescue measures and made efforts to compensate the victim, which were considered in sentencing.”
Mr. A is accused of, around November 22 last year, drinking at his residence and, in a fit of anger because the victim stayed at his house and acted unilaterally demanding him to accommodate her mood, saying “Are we your mother or father? Get out,” and slapping the victim’s cheek.
Additionally, Mr. A is charged with, from around 7 p.m. on November 27 to about 1 a.m. the next day, becoming enraged because the victim, who had come to his residence the previous day, appeared to be staying over again and ignored his request to leave. He allegedly struck the victim’s face multiple times with his hands and hit her thighs several times with his fists and feet, causing cardiac arrest and unconsciousness.
According to the court, Mr. A and his wife first met the victim in 2019 at a guesthouse in Hapjeong-dong, Mapo-gu, and maintained close contact. The victim came to Korea for language training at the end of August last year and began living at Mr. A’s house from then.
Living together, discomfort grew over minor issues such as lifestyle habits, and around early November last year, Mr. A asked the victim to leave the house. However, the victim refused due to financial reasons, leading to several severe disputes. After the victim rented a room at a goshiwon around November 17 and moved out, she continued to frequently visit Mr. A’s home, which caused accumulated dissatisfaction.
Mr. A’s side denied the grievous bodily harm charge, stating, “It is true that the victim’s face and thighs were struck multiple times, but we could not have foreseen that such actions would result in severe consequences like cardiac arrest.”
The court rejected this claim, stating, “The doctor who treated the victim diagnosed multiple bruises on the victim’s thighs and face, indicating traumatic hemorrhage or muscle destruction, which likely led to the cardiac arrest. The degree of physical force applied by the defendant to the victim does not appear to be light.”
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