A Thai wife scalded by her South Korean husband, who poured boiling water on her face while she slept, has seen her attacker receive a reduced prison sentence upon appeal.
According to legal sources on October 28, the Criminal Division 1 of the Uijeongbu District Court sentenced the 40-year-old husband, identified as A, to three years in prison during his appellate trial on charges of special assault.
The court stated, "The defendant reached a settlement by paying 150.000 KRW to the victim, and the victim wishes for leniency. Considering all sentencing conditions presented during the trial, the original sentence was deemed excessively harsh and unfair."
Defendant A was initially indicted for pouring boiling water from a coffee pot onto the face, neck, and body of his 30-year-old Thai wife, B, at their home in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, on December 3 of last year, resulting in second-degree burns.
At the time, victim B was transferred to a specialized burn treatment hospital in Seoul, and the case came to light when hospital staff suspected assault and reported it to the police.
Victim B shared her ordeal through an acquaintance’s social media (SNS), which was subsequently covered by Thai media outlets, causing the case to spread widely.
During police investigations, A initially stated, "I wanted to make her face ugly because I was afraid she would meet other men," but later changed his story, claiming, "I tripped and accidentally spilled the water." However, during the trial, he admitted to all charges and tearfully pleaded for leniency.
