On May 11, 2023, a man in his 20s was arrested for locking his ex-girlfriend in his car and threatening to kill her with a seatbelt after a fight while driving in Changwon. The former lover ignored the woman’s demand to stop the car and kept driving until they were stopped by the police. It was the woman’s smartwatch, provided by the police before-hand, that allowed the police to find her exact location for rescue. The man had already been guilty of dating abuse before the incident, and the woman had been receiving a protection order against him.
Dating abuse in South Korea is still a continuing problem, with an average of 52 cases reported in a single day, according to statistics provided from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family in 2022. However, not many are aware of what exactly constitutes dating abuse.
In a survey conducted by Ewha Voice from May 9 to May 15, 14 out of 83 respondents defined dating abuse solely as an occurance of physical violence between romantic partners, while 47 out of 83 respondents included both physical and mental violence asserted to one’s significant other. However, a staggering 54.2 percent of respondents admitted that they did not know the exact definition of dating abuse.
Professor Dong Wook Kang from the College of Law at Dongguk University explained that dating abuse branches into different definitions because the term itself is broad and differs depending on the target.
“The typical definition is violence exerted both physically and psychologically, but it differs among scholars,” Kang said. “So in a broad term, dating violence includes all abuse that happens during dating.”
But because the term dating abuse is hard to narrow down, there exists no laws in South Korea regarding such crime. As a result, several unpassed bills on dating abuse remain, which is also mainly due to the ambiguity in the word ‘dating’.
“The question is whether to look at current relationships or include the ones in the past,” Kang said. “Also, the target is no longer limited to relationships between men and women, as there are sexual minorities in Korea.”
Kang stressed that the bills needed to prioritize protecting the victims instead of punishing the abusers. He put domestic abuse as an example to explain the government's responsibility in minimizing the risks of violence occurring in private matters. Domestic violence used to be regarded as a “family matter” without any legal punishments. Consequently, the following crime continued to occur without response from the government. According to Kang, the same story is repeating in the case of dating violence.
“Putting laws on domestic violence as a model, the bill should shift its focus more to the victim’s protection. In this way, there will be more chances for the bills to pass,” he said.
Under South Korea’s legislation, crimes cannot be prosecuted against the objection of the victim, which also includes dating violence. The following law brings criticisms because of its easy misuse. The case is that the abusers would often threaten the victims to stop the sue and come into an “agreement.”
However, regarding calls for its abolishment, Kang remarked that the positive side of the law is the monetary advantage the victim can easily acquire. In fact, a separate lawsuit needs to be filed for compensation on injuries.
“In the worst case scenario, the abuser may be jailed without providing any medical payments,” Kang mentioned. “But this particular law makes sure compensation is given to victims.”
On the other hand, he shared that dating violence can occur from two individuals that are currently in a romantic relationship. Therefore, respecting the victim’s decision is also important.
“Since the government is involved in private matters, there needs to be at least one way for recovery in a relationship,” he said.
Nevertheless, it is crucial for all people, regardless of what situation they are in, to know how to report dating violence.
In the survey, 67.5 percent of respondents indicated that they do not know how to sue for dating abuse. In other words, only 27 out of 83 Ewha students know how.
The best way is to call 112. Even if the victim does not call, he or her close acquaintances are able to report dating abuse. Kang emphasized on how to keep actively seeking help and leave evidence, either by recording or writing down the situation in a memo with specific details.
There are also community support centers ready to fight against dating abuse.
The Human Rights Center at Ewha Womans University, for one, registers reports of dating abuse and handles the case within the school. And during the process, the center provides services on medical, law-related, and psychological support.
The center is open to everyone on campus, including students, exchange students, staff, and professors with reservations available by calling 02-3277-3229.