Domestic violence reports in South Korea are rising sharply, yet police arrests have declined, and about half of the cases that do lead to arrest are referred to family protection proceedings rather than criminal prosecution. The pattern has drawn fresh scrutiny after a man killed his mother-in-law and abducted his wife once a restraining order against him expired, prompting calls to strengthen punishment of offenders and measures to prevent repeat offenses.
Seoul's Songpa Police Station on the 12th requested an arrest warrant for a man in his 20s, identified only as A, who is accused of killing the mother of his wife and abducting his wife while the couple was in the middle of a marriage annulment suit, according to reporting by The Seoul Economic Daily. Police have applied charges including murder of a lineal ascendant and aggravated confinement, and are investigating his motive and whether the crime was planned, based on his statements and evidence at the scene. A has largely admitted to the allegations, according to sources.
Domestic violence reports have climbed steadily in recent years while police arrests have trended downward. According to the Korean National Police Agency, reports rose from 218,680 in 2021 to 225,609 in 2022, 230,830 in 2023 and 236,647 in 2024. Last year the figure reached 289,368, up 32.3% from 2021.
Arrests moved in the opposite direction. From 46,041 in 2021, arrests stayed in the 40,000 range through 2023 before falling to 37,905 in 2024. Last year they came to 33,767, down 26.7% from 2021. That total equaled 11.67% of the reports filed in the same year.
The gap holds over a longer horizon. Police received a total of 1,201,134 domestic violence reports from 2021 through 2025, while arrests numbered 207,053, or 17.24% of reports.
Critics also point to how many cases are routed into family protection proceedings instead of criminal punishment. Over the past five years, 108,054 cases were referred to family protection proceedings, equal to 52.18% of domestic violence arrests in the same period. Under that process, rather than sending an offender to a criminal trial, a court imposes protective measures such as a restraining order, probation, or mandatory counseling or treatment. The system is intended to prevent recurrence and help families recover, but questions remain over whether it can adequately contain the risk that an offender will reoffend after such measures are imposed.
The killing also exposed gaps in protection for victims. Police had earlier imposed emergency measures on A, including eviction from the victim's residence, a ban on coming within 100 meters, and a ban on contact by telecommunications. Those measures lapsed on the 30th of last month. The Gwonseon Police Station in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, reapplied for a restraining order on the 6th of this month out of concern over further harm, but the crime occurred before the court ruled.
Police also failed to take A into custody despite repeated unsuccessful attempts to execute search and seizure warrants. After obtaining a warrant on the 18th of last month, officers tried to execute it at his workplace on the 22nd and 28th of that month and at his home on the 6th of this month, but he was absent each time. With his whereabouts unknown and the restraining order expired, protective measures meant to prevent further crimes did not function properly, critics said.
Experts say enforcement of emergency measures and police authority to detain suspects preemptively should be substantially strengthened. They also cite as an obstacle a provision in current law under which an offender cannot be prosecuted if the victim withdraws the intent to press charges. Police officials said one reason the effective arrest rate is low relative to the number of reports is that victims frequently withdraw complaints out of fear of retaliation. "Even when we respond to a domestic violence call, in most cases the victim asks us to just leave," one police official said, voicing frustration.