Gender minister urges scrapping non-punishment clause for domestic violence
Gender Equality Minister Won Min-kyong on Friday called for abolishing a legal provision that bars punishing perpetrators of domestic violence if the victims do not wish punishment. Under the current law, authorities cannot punish domestic violence offenders if victims express opposition to punishment. Critics have said the provision has led offenders to pressure victims to settle cases. "Since…
Gender Equality Minister Won Min-kyong has urged the abolition of a legal provision that prohibits punishing perpetrators of domestic violence if victims do not wish to pursue punishment. The current law allows authorities to refrain from penalizing offenders when victims oppose punishment. Critics argue that this clause enables offenders to coerce victims into settling cases.
In a YouTube interview, Won stated her consistent advocacy for abolishing the clause, emphasizing that it should not allow domestic violence to be a crime only if the victim consents. President Lee Jae Myung reportedly shares this viewpoint. Notably, stalking crimes were previously exempt from victim consent requirements but saw a legal amendment in June 2023 to eliminate this provision.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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