Prosecution to Strengthen Punishment Policies for Violent Crimes Including 'Date Violence'

The prosecution has decided to strengthen punishments for violent crimes such as dating violence and to respond strictly.

On the 8th, the Criminal Division and Trial and Prosecution Division of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office announced that they have strengthened the standards for handling cases to ensure active detention investigations and strict sentencing by reinforcing punishments for violent crimes and analyzing the characteristics of dating violence crimes.

For violent crimes, the degree of harm caused by violence will be more heavily reflected, and aggravated punishment will be applied in cases with blameworthy motives such as random crimes or retaliatory crimes. In addition, in certain cases, prosecutorial discretion for suspension of indictment will be limited, and the substantive content of settlements will be examined to block any manipulative mitigation.

Regarding dating violence crimes, considering the characteristics where emotional intimacy is abused or relationship breakups lead to intensified hatred, cases where the method of the crime is dangerous or causes serious harm will, in principle, be subject to detention investigations. Punishments will be strengthened by actively reflecting sentencing factors unique to dating violence, such as the target and circumstances of the crime and prior criminal records.

In cases of dating violence crimes, detention investigations will, in principle, be considered when the perpetrator repeatedly inflicts serious injury on the victim, or when a person with a history of violent crimes causes injury by dangerous means such as carrying a weapon; when retaliatory crimes occur in response to reports by female victims; or when combined with crimes such as cruel acts or confinement causing significant injury, or when the same victim is repeatedly assaulted.