In Korea this week, on September 14, 2025, the headlines carried a chilling reminder of how fragile human relationships can become when respect gives way to violence.
A 41-year-old man, upon hearing the words “let’s break up,” responded not with sorrow or dignity but with rage. He drove his car into his girlfriend, sending her more than 13.7 meters through the air. The result: severe injuries, injury to the skull bones, and left-side paralysis. The courts have now upheld a 10-year prison sentence in the appeal trial.
This was not merely an accident—it was the eruption of possessiveness into brutality. Love, stripped of freedom, transforms into control. And control, when resisted, seeks its expression in violence.
Korean society has long grappled with the issue of dating violence. While campaigns and stronger laws have emerged, each new case reopens the same question: why does love, when rejected, turn so quickly into cruelty?
The courts will decide the legal penalties, but society must decide the meaning. Do we see this as an isolated crime, or as part of a wider need to educate about consent, respect, and emotional maturity?
Strength, in relationships, lies not in possession but in letting go. This tragic case serves as a stark reminder: love is only real when it is free from violence.
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