Domestic violence (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jan. 27 (Korea Bizwire) — Data from the National Police Agency has revealed a significant spike in domestic violence incidents during last year’s Lunar New Year holiday period in South Korea, with reports exceeding typical daily averages by 30%.
According to police records obtained by Democratic Party lawmaker Yang Bu-nam, authorities received 3,384 domestic violence reports during the four-day Lunar New Year holiday from February 9 to 12, averaging 846 cases per day. This represents a marked increase from the annual daily average of 648 cases, drawn from the total of 236,647 domestic violence reports filed throughout the year.
The trend of elevated holiday-related domestic violence has remained consistent in recent years. During the five-day Lunar New Year holiday in 2022, police logged 4,092 cases, averaging 818 reports daily. The following year’s four-day holiday period saw 3,562 reports, with a daily average of 891 cases. Last year’s Chuseok holiday showed even higher numbers, with 5,246 reports over five days (September 14 to 18), averaging 1,049 cases daily.
The holiday period also saw various sexual offenses, though these showed a declining trend. Police recorded 267 sex-related crimes during last year’s Lunar New Year holiday, averaging 66.75 cases per day, with 244 suspects apprehended. The incidents included 158 cases of rape and sexual assault, 43 cases of illegal filming, and 56 cases of sexual harassment through telecommunications. Additionally, there were 10 instances of intrusion into public facilities like restrooms for sexual purposes.
These figures represent a decrease from previous years, with sexual offense cases dropping from 393 in 2022 (78.6 daily average) and 335 in 2023 (83.75 daily average). While most categories of sexual crimes showed declining trends since 2022, incidents of intrusion into public spaces rose from two cases in 2022 to six cases in 2023.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
