Man fined for child abuse after attacking wife while holding child

A South Korean man accused of attacking his wife while holding their three-year-old daughter in his arms has been fined 1 million won ($760) for child abuse, Incheon District Court said Sunday.

An investigation found that the 44-year-old defendant and his wife got into a physical altercation on June 18, 2022, which saw the man push the woman to the floor and throw her phone out the door when she attempted to record the situation. He grabbed their 3-year-old daughter when he attempted a second attack. Following this, the wife took the child and fled the scene.

The defendant's wife filed two criminal charges against him: one of bodily injury for the attack against her and one of child abuse for involving their daughter in the altercation. The wife submitted a medical diagnosis of her visit to the hospital a day after the incident. The doctors had found non-invasive damage on her scalp from being pushed and hitting her head on the wall.

The defendant had denied both charges and claimed that he was the one who was assaulted.

But the court found him guilty of child abuse and slapped him with the 1 million won fine, along with an order to complete a 40-hour therapy program to protect against child abuse. "The plaintiff testified consistently and specifically about the assault inflicted on her and the abuse inflicted on their daughter. ... (The court) can say without a doubt that he is guilty," the court said in its verdict.

The defendant has not yet been sentenced for the assault charges.

By Yoon Min-sik(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)