Man taken into custody for killing wife with sword

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By Yoon Ja-young

The Seoul Southern District Court issued an arrest warrant, Sept. 5, for a man on charges of murdering his wife ― who was separated from him and had filed divorce proceedings ― with a Japanese sword, according to the Hankook Ilbo, the sister paper of The Korea Times.

Police had taken the suspect, surnamed Jang, into custody two days previously for allegedly killing his wife in front of her father.

The couple had been separated since May and were going through a divorce.

Before the killing, the suspect had called his wife to come and pick up the belongings of their children that were still at his house. She went to the residence accompanied by her father.

The two, however, began to quarrel over the divorce, and the wife reportedly asked her father to video the incident. An allegedly infuriated Jang suddenly drew the sword and attacked his wife. He had reportedly got permission to keep the one-meter-long sword, which he had received as a gift, at his home.

Jang later told police that he didn't remember clearly what had happened, as he had "completely lost his mind" at that moment. However, the Hankook Ilbo reported that he was neither drunk nor had any previous record of mental illness.

An internet user, who claimed to be victim's close friend, said online that she had been suffering from domestic violence. The friend said the victim had told her that Jang did not let her go outside, had used a location tracking app, voice recorder and their car's black box to keep track of her whereabouts, and often assaulted her in front of their children. The friend added that Jang had taken the sword out a few times to threaten the victim, which prompted her to take shelter at her parents' home with the children.

She said that the victim went to Jang's house with her father on the day as she feared for her safety. Jang had demanded the victim end the divorce suit, and when she refused, he took out the sword. The victim's father tried to calm Jang down, but was unable to do so. The friend said the victim's father is now blaming himself for failing to protect his daughter.

According to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, 59,472 people were caught committing domestic violence here in 2019, more than triple the number from six years ago. The ministry explained that the rise in the number of cases may be due to increased violence, alongside more recognition of such incidents that weren't considered as such in the past.

The bereaved family and friends of the victim are calling on the authorities to impose a heavy punishment on the perpetrator.

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