Man sentenced to 3 years in prison for gaslighting, assaulting girlfriend

A man in his 20s has been sentenced to prison for psychologically manipulating and assaulting his girlfriend, forcing her into complete obedience over a seven-month period.

According to legal sources Sunday, judge Jeong Hee-cheol of the Cheongju District Court sentenced the unidentified 29-year-old man to three years in prison on charges of assault, intimidation and coercion.

The man was found guilty of gaslighting his girlfriend, a fellow university student, between August 2022 and March 2023, coercing her to follow 24 specific behavioral rules he dictated. He physically assaulted her at least 12 times during this period.

The court found that the man forced his girlfriend to constantly report her whereabouts and activities with photos every 10 to 30 minutes, record ambient sounds around her while at school, and capture all her message conversations with friends. At home, she was ordered to keep her phone’s video call function on at all times so he could monitor her.

When she failed to follow his instructions, the man assaulted her and forced her to sign a “body forfeiture agreement.”

He also made her complete some of his university assignments and physically abused her when the results did not satisfy him, at one point inflicting injuries requiring five weeks of recovery.

He further forced her to film and send sexually degrading videos for trivial reasons and even made her take one of his online exams.

In its ruling, the court said, “Under the guise of a romantic relationship, the defendant brutally trampled on the victim’s human dignity. The nature of the crime is extremely heinous. Despite the victim’s immense psychological suffering, the defendant has continued to deny the charges and has shown no remorse.”

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.