Reporting Domestic Abuse in South Korea

Here's the question:

I have a problem, and I was hoping you might have some advice. In the apartment above me there is frequently domestic violence going on--I hear lots of noise and a girl screaming like she is very hurt. I have called the police multiple times. They come, knock on the door, but of course the people inside won't open the door, and the police won't open it either.

My school asked me if I want to move to a different apartment, but that does not solve the problem. I want to know, what can I do to help this girl? Every time I hear her scream, I feel so guilty. And when she stops screaming, I wonder, is it because the beating stopped or because now she is too hurt to scream?

I have Korean colleagues and friends, but all of them seem unwilling or unable to help me. Please help me help her!

What a terrible situation to be put in. I'm truly sorry that you have to endure being around such violence. I'm pretty sure I heard a little bit of domestic abuse when I first moved to Korea, but wasn't ever certain. As I've learned since, Koreans are sometimes a tad emotional and overly passionate, so screaming and crying might be provoked without violence. Also, Koreans have gotten used to noisy neighbors and tend to block the disturbance--whatever it might be--out. 


I'm not sure if you mean 'girl' as in a child or an adult, so I'll answer for both.  


If it is a child then the situation is a little trickier. Koreans very deeply use and approve of corporal punishment. While the trend might be slowing in the public school system, it is still very much a part of discipline in the home. It all boils down to respect and adherence to the hierarchal norms that Korean society is obsessed with. To some Koreans, if a child misbehaves it's not because they are a child or foolish, but rather that they intentionally chose to disregard the structure of Korean relationships and must be disciplined. The method doesn't matter to them as long as the child understands and follows the pecking order. 


In this sense, a call to the police over what a Westerner might call "child abuse" could prove to be useless. The parents would justify it and unless the child has severe or easily noticeable injuries (not just bruises), the police will probably overlook it. Remember, "culture" is always the excuse offered up when defending questionable behavior. I know that isn't comforting in the least for you, but that's how it goes. However, if you can spot the child out and about around your apartment, maybe say 'Hello' and take a causal look at her neck, arms and legs. If you see something questionable, contact one of the links below.


Now, if the 'girl' is a woman and, therefore, a battered wife or girlfriend, you can take more direct action. You could call the landlord or maintenance person and let them know of the "disturbance". You could try spotting the woman outside her place and having a face-to-face conversation with her (although she probably won't open up to you and language could be an issue as well). You could even try banging on the ceiling or their door while the abuse is taking place. The bottom line is that you need to make sure the abuser knows that other people know what's happening. 


I think calling the police over and over again isn't a bad thing to do at all. Eventually, the locked door excuse won't work (as they often do) and the police will demand entry. The problem is that the victim might not be interested in talking to the police. Koreans don't like legal solutions, nor do they like losing face. This situation offers both. Luckily, you're not Korean and you don't have to deal with the culture barriers.


If the police won't do anything and you're sure that your neighbor is being beaten and/or is in a helpless situation, then you could always go to Korean Women's Hot Line (www.hotline.or.kr) or visit the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (www.mogef.go.kr). Both of them have English websites and I'm sure will be able to communicate with you considering the amount of abuse that takes place among foreign-born brides on the peninsula. It also wouldn't hurt to drop by Korea4Expats' post on Help Centers for Abused Foreign Women. Your neighbor might not be a foreigner, but they could at least give you some solid advice or point you in the right direction.


You have a few options for now and hopefully they will work out because this kind of thing needs to stop. Does anyone else have any advice?

The "Seal Men" and Beggars in Seoul

Here's the question:

Who are the men laying prone on little rolling carts, with their non-functioning legs wrapped in what looks like inner tubes?

This is the second part to a Handicapped Beggars in Korea post. There is little or no reliable information about these people on the Internet. There have been no major news stories or articles written about these people. The information I have gotten is from two government officials, a former Songpa-gu police officer and a rumored, but unconfirmed KBS TV report several years ago.

I'm an early bird and live on Gangnam-daero. I get to see it all on my early morning strolls with my pup: late-night partiers still rockin' it, early-morning street sweepers, pools and pools of vomit and, on two recent occasions, a mysterious unmarked bus with tinted windows. The people who are on these buses, the "Seal Men", are the focus of this post.



Somewhere between 6:30 and 7:00am on weekends, a bus pulls up, opens it's side-doors, and two or three men spring out carrying a handicapped man "with their non-functioning legs wrapped in what looks like inner tubes". They roughly set him up on a rolling cart, place an empty money-collection box next to him, turn his music on and drive off. In one case, the man, who was clearly suffering from severe mental retardation, was forced to lay there without assistance. Most of the time, these guys lie face-down for long hours in the hot summer heat while the busy feet and exhaust smother their view and air. The occasional passerby will lend a hand or maybe even buy them a cool drink, but for the most part, these guys fend for themselves while on the sidewalks.

Before I go any further, I must add that there are two types of beggars who use the carts: One is the mentally handicapped and the other is the physically disabled. The physically disabled tend to be able to walk with crutches, use a wheelchair or maybe even get by with braces. The other, however, has no choice as their debilitating mental condition interferes with the basics of survival. I am focusing on these men, not the physically disabled.

I had a long talk about this with former Songpa-gu police officer who started his beat in Gangnam years ago. He told me that it was a scam. A scam, that I have since found out is ignored by the government. If you have seen Slumdog Millionare, then you kind of get the picture. It's about the same, but their "slaves" are adults who were already handicapped in some way.

It goes like this: A group of people somehow have gotten access to the mentally challenged and set up an operation where they drop these handicapped individuals off on different, but highly trafficked streets in the city, have them lie there all day collecting money and, once the evening has died down, they come and pick them up. Once picked up, the money is taken (usually less than 2o bucks) "to pay health care, food and housing costs" by the men in charge and the handicapped men are brought to a crowded apartment where they are given food and a place to sleep.

I want to be clear that I am only relaying information.

He said that in the 1990s, Korean gangsters were thought to be behind the operation, but I got the impression that he was not privied to such information. If you ask me though, I think it's a reasonable assumption. The Korean mafia is known for human trafficking, i.e. slavery and this would fit right into that theme.

The government officials were a little more vague with their knowledge except for the fact that they admitted knowing about the problem and hinted that by allowing the mafia or whoever is responsible for this to continue its operation, the government can stay out of it. On the surface, I guess it could be argued that these people are "working" during the day and, with the money collected, they pay for their living costs. Of course, only sick and twisted people would argue that. This is modern day slavery at least and there is no excuse for treating people like this. None.

Let's pretend that my three "informants" are all wrong and just lying to me. Fine, but it still doesn't change the fact that I have seen these people dropped off on the streets like animals only to sit all day without food, water, or a bathroom. This type of thing should not happen to the helpless. If they were just a little crazy, a tad mentally "off" or made the choice to beg, then that's their decision, but these specific men are clearly not in charge of making decisions for themselves. They are being pimped out by greedy hands and forced to endure endless days of deprivation without being given a chance to say "no". I'm sorry, but that's slavery.

I will continue to do more research on these "Seal Men" and hope that I can find some more definitive answers soon. Until then...