The Korea Herald

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Man sentenced to 9 years for chaining, beating wife to death

By Park Ye-eun

Published : Nov. 13, 2023 - 18:14

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A man has been sentenced to nine years in prison for beating his wife to death, local media reported Monday.

According to reports, a 36-year-old man was found guilty of illegal confinement, death resulting from bodily injury and coercion. He was also ordered to 40 hours in a child abuse treatment program and a two-year employment restriction for child-related institutions on charges of emotional abuse by confining his wife with a leash in front of his 4-year-old son.

The husband was on trial for assaulting his 35-year-old wife for about five hours, causing excessive internal bleeding. The incident occurred after she returned home drunk with police help at 11 a.m. on Jan. 31.

According to reports, the man and his wife had been in dispute over the victim's alcoholism.

Sometime last year, the man had demanded that she stay chained at home, tying her neck with a leash and fastening it to the refrigerator with a 5.6-meter chain, saying he would not let her go out for a drink.

He allegedly insisted that on the day of his wife’s death he had not been violent, and that he only hit her calf three times with a shoehorn. However, the court noted there were no signs of injury at the time the wife was returned home by police, and the cause of the victim’s death could only occur with great force, according to the forensic doctor.

“The convicted used gaslighting on his wife by abusing her inhumanely. In the process of ending her life, the victim’s pain must have been severe with profuse bleeding from a strong attack,” the court said. “Although he is likely to have suffered from the victim’s drinking problem, strict punishment is needed as there is no sign of regret while he tries to blame the victim for the crime.”