Record High in South Korea’s Dating Violence Incidents in 2024

A recent SBS news segment disclosed that South Korea’s incidents of dating abuse soared to new heights in 2024.

Dating violence is defined as “harm inflicted by a romantic partner, which can be physical, sexual, emotional, or a combination of these” according to the U.S. Office on Women’s Health.

The report highlighted that the nation logged over 25,967 complaints of dating abuse with the police from January to April of 2024.

As per a NEWSIS report that analyzed data from the South Korean National Police Agency, the year 2023 saw 13,939 cases—a more than 55% hike from 8,951 cases in 2020.

Experts suggest that the dramatic rise is due to increased recognition of what entails dating abuse and a greater willingness to file reports with the authorities.

Regrettably, the convicting rates for reported cases remain strikingly low. In 2024, only 4,395 perpetrators were arrested and merely 2% have been incarcerated and faced legal proceedings.

From 2019 to 2024, out of more than 50,000 reported cases, 2.21% ended up being detained and prosecuted.

Out of the 4,395 arrested in 2024, 68.4% faced charges of assault. “Other” reasons accounted for 19%, while 9.2% were arrested for confinement and/or threats, and 3.3% for sexual assault. The reported arrest statistics do not include cases of murder.

— YTN

The sentences handed down to those convicted have been criticized for being “far too lenient.” In light of numerous reports on abused victims by their significant others, there’s a growing cry amongst South Koreans for reforms to the laws governing dating abuse and domestic violence.

• “The death penalty must be reinstated… It’s high time a number of these felons were handed capital punishment. Who will serve justice for the victims and their kin? The judiciary cannot be trusted.”
• “Judges in South Korea are failing the nation…”
• “4,000 arrests already…? There must be an immediate change in legislation.”
• “4,000 arrests and still counting?! How can we call it a civilized society when dating may cost lives? NAVER features at least one daily article on women being murdered. How many more women must perish? Is there a systematic elimination of the female population underway?”
• “The problem is that these criminals do not regard women as their equals. So when a woman seeks separation, they become infuriated—to the extent of committing homicide. These men are ignorant of true love. They envisioned their romantic engagement as proprietorship, which is the underlying reason for recurrent dating abuse. Korea must revise its fundamental conception of ‘dating’ and address the endemic misogyny.”
• “Life imprisonment would be a fair sentence for young offenders in their 20s.”
• “Desiring to address the plummeting birth rates? Rectify this issue first. How can women be expected to bear children if they are facing murder risks left and right even before conception?”

Learn more about an appalling incident that left Korean society stunned:

Korean Male Inflicts 190 Knife Wounds on Girlfriend, Court Designates The Act As “Spontaneous”

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