When you break up with them, they change completely... Dating violence on the rise every year in South Korea

"Dating violence has become a common crime that can happen to anyone. I hope this bill is passed quickly, before another parent suffers like me."
The phone call on the morning of April 1st of this year disrupted the daily life of Song Eun-jin (48). Her 21-year-old daughter Lee Hyo-jung had been seriously injured.
Just nine days after hearing the story, Song had to listen to her daughter's death pronouncement. The cause of death was multiple organ failure and sepsis caused by the boyfriend's violence. However, the court did not acknowledge dating violence.
The prosecution handed down a lighter sentence than the one sought by the prosecution. Song called for the penalties for dating violence to be clearly stated.
On the 14th, the Tongyeong Criminal Division 1 of the Changwon District Court in South Korea sentenced Lee's former partner A to 12 years in prison.
The court ordered the victim to complete a 40-hour stalking treatment program. The court stated, "At a time when criticism of such crimes (dating violence) is on the rise, it is necessary to create social vigilance by imposing severe punishment.
"The fact that he was charged with intentionally killing someone is a serious matter," he said, but added, "It is possible that he committed the crime in a planned manner in order to take revenge on the victim for trying to end their relationship."
Considering that the prosecutor had previously sought a 20-year prison sentence for A, this ruling could be seen as a narrowing of the scope of "dating violence."
"Even after serving his sentence, he will be released at the age of 33, but I will not be able to see my daughter," he said. "Crimes spread because there is no way to impose severe punishment. I hope the law will be passed soon so that children can stay with their parents forever."
"The number of dating violence cases tends to increase every year. According to the National Police Agency, the number of dating violence victims increased by nearly 20% from 10,777 in 2021 to 12,799 last year.
35 people become victims of dating violence every day. Lee's case shows a typical situation of dating violence, where the man demands a breakup and then assaults the woman. Song said, "Hyojung said, 'I want to break up with you.'"
After she said that, the assailant assaulted her, and when I asked her why she had bruises, she simply said, 'I bumped into her,'" he said. "When I meet with victims and families of other cases of dating violence,
"I was surprised that the assailant's actions were the same as what I learned in my textbooks," he said. "If the victim hits the other person in an attempt to defend themselves, both parties are considered assaults, and the police will not voluntarily accompany the victim to the police station or register the case.
"The perpetrators are then released, so they say things like, 'Are you scared of the police?' and 'Just pay a fine and you're done,' and beat them up again," he explained.
In fact, before being taken to the emergency room, Lee had requested help from the police as many as 11 times, but most of the requests were handled at the scene.
The victim, who was murdered by her boyfriend, Seo Dong-ha (34), had reported the matter to the police three times before her death. Ultimately, the lack of a system means that dating violence cannot be prevented.
Unlike stalking crimes, the crime of non-punishment remains, and it has been pointed out that it is difficult to actively separate the perpetrator from the victim.
Bills aimed at abolishing the crime and strengthening protection for victims continue to be proposed, but the reality is that no proper discussion is taking place.