Korean man arrested for 3-hour-long assault on Vietnamese wife as toddler son watches

Police have arrested a 36-year-old South Korean man on Saturday (July 6) after he was caught on video brutally assaulting his 30-year-old Vietnamese wife.

The man, surnamed Kim, was arrested without a warrant and put into emergency detention as police were concerned that he would assault his wife again, The Hankyoreh reported.

Kim reportedly beat his wife for over three hours on Thursday night (July 4) at their home in Yeongam, South Jeolla Province.

The reason? For not speaking Korean well.

In a video that sparked widespread outrage after it was shared online, he was seen slapping, punching and kicking his wife in front of their wailing two-year-old son. Kim also swore at her and berated her for cooking Vietnamese food instead of Korean food.

After repeated beatings from Kim, the victim managed to record a video of the abuse with her mobile phone that she had placed on the living room table.

On July 5, she sent the video to acquaintances who made a police report and posted the video on social media.

Warning: The video below may be disturbing to some viewers

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SB_diLWIW7I[/embed]

The man's onslaught of blows left the victim with rib fractures and other injuries that will require four weeks of treatment, reported The Korea Herald.

The victim and the child were removed from their home and placed in a local women's shelter for their protection, said Yeongam Police Station.

The Women Migrants Human Rights Centre of Korea said that it was offering assistance to the woman, who is a marriage migrant.

NO FAIRYTALE ENDING FOR SOME MIGRANT BRIDES

There are about 40,000 Vietnamese marriage migrants in South Korea, many of them looking for a better life.

Unfortunately, some migrant brides searching for a fairytale ending are hit with a sobering reality. 

42.1 per cent of female marriage migrants has experienced domestic violence and 68 per cent has experienced unwanted sexual advances, according to a survey of 920 female marriage migrants conducted by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea.

An official at the Vietnamese Women's Union in South Korea told The Korea Herald that migrant women who are victims of domestic violence rarely get the justice they deserve as their abusers often get off scot-free.

This is why many migrant women seek help from women's rights organisations or multicultural family support centres instead of taking legal action.

"It's not just Vietnamese women. [Spousal abuse] happens to marriage migrant women of all nationalities," the official said. "We hope the law here [South Korea] will punish the abusive husbands more severely."

kimberlylim@asiaone.com