Whole Family Assaults 'Maenbal Yeojungsaeng' Barefoot Middle School Girl in Gangnam Center... Father Detained

Police Apply Temporary Measure No. 7 to Victim's Father

A middle school girl who fled barefoot in the heart of Gangnam, Seoul, was caught and assaulted by her biological older brother and parents.

On the 21st, according to the police, the Gangnam Police Station in Seoul applied to the prosecution for an emergency temporary measure to prevent the parents and older brother from approaching or contacting the victim, and the court accepted it. Temporary measure No. 7 was applied to the victim's father, who was detained in a detention center.

Temporary measure No. 7 is a measure to detain the perpetrator in a detention center or jail for up to two months to protect the child in case of concerns about repeated abuse. The police can extend the application period of No. 7 once more.

The victim's parents and older brother are suspected of assaulting the middle school girl for about 20 minutes in an apartment complex in Gangnam, Seoul, in the early morning of the 15th. Nearby CCTV footage clearly captured the middle school girl being collectively assaulted by her family. The video shows the girl running out barefoot and desperately trying to escape. However, she was caught shortly after by a man who chased her at a frightening speed.

The man struck the victim's abdomen and repeatedly pulled her hair while she was lying on the street, hitting her multiple times. Shortly after, another man discovered them and joined in the assault, and when a woman appeared, the victim seemed frightened and knelt on the asphalt ground.

Despite her pleas, the woman kicked and stomped on the child several times. The man did not stop her but continued to beat the child’s abdomen and face. The assault, which took place in the middle of a crosswalk, lasted about 20 minutes.

The Gangnam Police Station is investigating Mr. A and his wife on charges of physical abuse, and Mr. B on charges of assault under the Special Act on the Punishment of Domestic Violence Crimes. During investigations conducted by the police and the district office, the parents stated, "We told the child to fill out a preliminary questionnaire for hospital treatment, but the child refused, so we punished her. During that time, the child ran out barefoot, and the incident occurred while trying to catch her."