Divorced Restaurant Owner and Star Chef Under Police Investigation for Child Abuse

A physical fight over custody while each tried to take their two daughters
Custody and parental rights to ex-husband... Visitation rights 'conflict'

A famous restaurant owner and a star chef, who are divorced, are under police investigation for allegedly abusing their two daughters.

On the 24th, Jeju Police Agency announced that they plan to conduct a pre-investigation into restaurant owner Mr. A (42) and his ex-husband, star chef Mr. B (45), on charges of violating the Child Welfare Act (child abuse).

Mr. A and Mr. B are accused of abusing their two daughters, the victims, around 8:30 p.m. the previous day in front of a restaurant in Andeok-myeon, Seogwipo City, Jeju. A video posted on Mr. A’s blog, which captured the incident, shows Mr. A and an acquaintance holding the victim children one by one and walking down the street when suddenly Mr. B and his acquaintances approach and forcibly try to take the children away. Both sides used physical force, grabbing the children’s arms and legs and pulling their clothes.

Through his blog, Mr. A stated, "This is the video of the scene where I was assaulted by hired thugs and restaurant staff and my children were taken away. Witnesses have all been secured. I am calming myself down, getting a medical certificate, and going to file a police complaint."

Jeju Police Agency Building.

Married in 2014, the couple is now divorced and has been in conflict over visitation rights with their children. Through a divorce lawsuit, in October 2021, Mr. B was granted parental authority and custody, which was confirmed by the Supreme Court ruling in December last year. Separately, Mr. A has been convicted in several criminal cases including wage arrears, embezzlement of employees’ four major insurance payments, and violations of the Food Sanitation Act.

Mr. B claims that despite Mr. A losing all parental authority and custody rights in the Supreme Court, Mr. A unilaterally took the children and cut off contact.

The police plan to identify those involved in the incident through CCTV analysis and summon them soon to investigate the exact circumstances of the case.