The use of deadly weapons in domestic violence nearly doubled last year from the previous year, a non-governmental counseling organization said Tuesday, calling for measures to stop violence at an early stage.
According to an analysis of 55 perpetrators of family violence, 14 of them, or 25.5 percent, said they used knives, scissors, axes and other weapons to threaten or strike their spouses, the Korea Legal Aid Center for Family Relations said.
The counseling center said it chose the sample from a pool of people who were ordered by a court or prosecutors to undergo counseling while on probation or after receiving a suspended indictment.
Last year's figure was nearly double the 13.3 percent recorded in 2010, it said.
"There is a limit to counseling if couples have already started to use weapons and require government intervention," the center said. "(Counseling) systems should be strengthened so that couples can receive counseling soon after the first incidence of domestic violence."
Husbands were far more likely to use violence than wives, with 48 of the perpetrators being men, or 87.3 percent of the total.
Couples who were married for 10 to 20 years were the most vulnerable group at 30.9 percent, followed by 16.4 percent each for married couples of five to 10 years, and less than five years, the center said.
This is likely due to the dissatisfaction couples often feel after 10 to 20 years of marriage, in which case they need to reestablish their relationship through dialogue and mutual hobbies, it added.
Personality clashes, including those spurred by South Korea's traditional patriarchal system, were the biggest trigger for domestic violence at 31 percent, followed by distrust in each other, drinking problems and financial troubles. (Yonhap)
