Threatened ex-girlfriend to reveal 'Hwansung Yeonae' to others, sentenced to prison
A man who threatened to expose the fact that his girlfriend had secretly met another man and repeatedly kicked her head and body, causing serious injuries, was sentenced to prison.
According to Yonhap News on the 23rd, Judge Lee Min-ji of the Seoul Eastern District Court Criminal Division 12 sentenced pharmacist A (35), who was charged with assault and coercion, to 8 months in prison with a 3-year probation and 200 hours of community service.
It is known that on the morning of August 2 last year, A forced his then-girlfriend B via KakaoTalk messenger to send messages to acquaintances such as "I lied countless times while dating A," and "I met another man and had a rebound breakup during our relationship."
He threatened that if she did not send these messages, he would send them to the company group chat, and B eventually sent the messages to her acquaintances.
On the same day, starting around 7:30 p.m., A assaulted B for over five hours in an outdoor park, repeatedly punching and kicking her face and head. As a result, B suffered serious injuries including broken ribs, requiring four weeks of medical treatment.
The court stated, "Even if the victim dated another man during the relationship and broke up, the criminal act cannot be justified," and pointed out, "The victim has clearly expressed that she does not intend to accept the 7 million won deposited by the defendant and is pleading for severe punishment." The court added, "However, considering the defendant’s acknowledgment of wrongdoing and remorse, as well as being a first-time offender with no prior criminal record," explaining the sentencing rationale.
Meanwhile, the number of dating violence cases has been increasing every year. According to the National Police Agency, the number of dating violence victims rose by nearly 20%, from 10,777 in 2021 to 12,799 last year. From January to October this year, there were 72,276 reports of dating violence, averaging 238 cases per day. Among these, 40,041 cases, or 55.4% of the total reports, were closed on-site without proceeding to formal investigation.
Korean Women’s Hotline reported that last year there were 13,939 suspects of dating violence, and at least 138 women were killed by men in intimate relationships. This represents a 55.7% increase compared to 2020. At least 311 women survived attempted murders and other violent attacks.
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