Man gets suspended jail term for assaulting disabled spouse

A 69-year-old man who assaulted his disabled wife and threatened her with a wooden stick was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for three years, a local court said Monday.

The defendant surnamed Choi has been charged with physical abuse against a disabled person and "special threat," which Article 284 of the Criminal Act defines as imposing a threat with a weapon and can be punished by up to seven years in prison or a 10 million won ($7,500) fine.

Investigators found that Choi attacked the 61-year-old victim, who is in a common-law marriage with him, in June of last year for throwing a box of gochujang sauce on the floor and getting mad at him. He beat the victim on the face and head several times with his fist, inflicting damage to the scalp and around the lips.

The court acknowledged that the defendant inflicted substantial damages upon the victim but decided on a suspended term as the victim did not want him to be punished.

A 2022 study by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family showed that women with disabilities are particularly more vulnerable to violence from their spouse or family than their male counterparts. The report showed that 9.3 percent of handicapped women said they have been abused by their family while 1.4 percent of the latter said so.

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