A man was arrested on Monday under charges of date violence.

Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency said the 22-year-old surnamed Kim is being accused of aggressive intimidation and violence toward a 20-year-old victim for several months, including following the victim to Canada. 

Kim and the victim had dated since July 2015 after meeting each other during a trip to Japan.

Kim allegedly began to intimidate the victim by claiming he had a friend in a criminal gang.

When the victim went to Canada to study the language, Kim followed her and stayed with the same homestay family.

Between November 2015 and April 2016 in Canada, Kim allegedly beat the victim on over 10 counts, and took money and valuables worth 100 million won ($87,200).

Kim is being accused of throwing food at the victim and making her stay in a bathroom in winter, claiming she had “met the gaze of another man.”

Kim had also allegedly solicited money from the victim’s parents and squandered the money on a car and branded clothes.

The police said the victim did not report the case, as she was afraid of Kim’s “gangster friends.”

The case came to the police’s attention after the victim’s homestay family witnessed and reported the abuse in February.

Kim disappeared following the report, but was tracked down and arrested three months later.

By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)