South Korean man arrested for three-hour beating of Vietnamese wife

By Nguyen Quy   July 7, 2019 | 08:22 pm PT
South Korean man arrested for three-hour beating of Vietnamese wife
Screenshots from an online video show a South Korean man beating his Vietnamese wife (L) and their son crying by her at their home in South Korea, July 4, 2019.
The South Korean police have arrested a man after a video showing him badly beating up his Vietnamese wife was widely shared online.

The video posted last Saturday showed the 36-year-old man slapping his wife in the face, kicking her and repeatedly punching her in the head and stomach as she crouched in a corner.

The beating lasted for three hours last Thursday at their home in Yeongam, South Jeolla Province, 300 km south of Seoul, and was witnessed by their two-year-old son who was seen crying loudly beside his mother.

South Korea media said the woman had suffered such assault before and this time she decided to record it on her cellphone. She turned on her camera, placed it inside her son’s backpack and positioned the bag at a place she thought would capture her beating beaten.

She showed the video to a Vietnamese friend, who reported to the police the next day before uploading the video online, Vietnam News Agency reported.

She is receiving medical treatment for a fractured rib at a hospital. Her injuries will require four weeks of treatment, according to the hospital.

The police claimed the reason for the assault was that the woman could not speak Korean well. The suspect reportedly told them he was drunk when he assaulted her.

The Vietnamese woman, 30, started dating the Korean three years ago, and returned to Vietnam when she was pregnant, according to police. They reunited last month and have lived together since, media reports said.

But the man is said to have often sworn at her after drinking, berating her language skills and also beating her.

A video shared online of the beating on July 4, 2019. Some viewers may find the footage disturbing.

Vietnam has overtaken China as the country sending the largest number of foreign brides to South Korea, according to the South Korean Embassy in Hanoi.

In the last few years around 6,000 Vietnamese women have been marrying South Koreans every year.

Vietnamese women, many from poor rural families, have for long been marrying South Korean men in the hope of finding a better life in the wealthy nation.

But it has not always been a fairy-tale ending for them though the number of suicides and fatal beatings has reduced in recent years.

 
 
go to top