Three Sisters Fined for Assault and Stalking After “Fermented Seafood Attack” on Husband’s Affair Partner

By Juwon Kang, June 6, 2026

Background

In October 2023, three sisters carried out a coordinated attack on a woman identified as B, who had been in a romantic relationship with the husband of A, the eldest of the three sisters. According to the facts established at trial, an added layer of betrayal drove the incident: B had been a longtime close friend of A before the affair came to light.

The sisters intercepted B’s car, blocked her path, hurled profanities, and pulled her out of the vehicle by her scarf. They then threw her bag to the ground, shoved her against a wall, and physically beat her. As a premeditated flourish, they doused her with fermented seafood (jeotgal) they had brought to the scene. B sustained injuries requiring two weeks of medical treatment, and the attack also damaged expensive clothing she was wearing. Beyond the single confrontation, the sisters engaged in a sustained stalking campaign — waiting outside B’s residence and making dozens of phone calls and sending repeated messages to her.

Court Decision

On May 13, 2026, Judge Choi Hae-jin of the Seoul Central District Court (Criminal Division 12) convicted all three defendants. A was fined 4 million won; her two sisters were each fined 2 million won. All three were also ordered to complete 40 hours of a stalking treatment program. The charges encompassed joint bodily injury and joint property destruction under the Act on Punishment of Violent Acts, as well as stalking offenses under the Act on Punishment of Stalking Crimes.

Legal Reasoning

The court acknowledged mitigating circumstances. The defendants admitted to all charges and expressed remorse, and the judge noted that discovering a close friend’s betrayal of this kind could produce extreme emotional distress—circumstances that carry some weight in sentencing.

Nevertheless, Judge Choi made clear that emotional provocation does not license physical retaliation. The assault was premeditated (evidenced by the fermented seafood brought to the scene), coordinated among three individuals, and accompanied by a prolonged stalking campaign. The court also noted that the victim had not forgiven the defendants and that no compensation had been paid, both of which weighed against leniency.

The judge drew a firm line: even if B’s conduct precipitated the sisters’ anger, the coordinated attack constituted unlawful private retribution far exceeding any protest or expression of grievance that social norms could tolerate. The law does not recognize self-help remedies of this kind.

Why This Matters

This case illustrates how Korean courts balance emotional provocation against criminal culpability in interpersonal violence arising from infidelity. While the court recognized that the affair—and the particular betrayal of a close friendship—provided some context for the defendants’ emotional state, it refused to treat provocation as a meaningful reduction in criminal liability where the response was organized, premeditated, and sustained over time.

The mandatory stalking treatment program reflects the court’s attention to the full arc of the defendants’ conduct, not merely the single confrontation. Practitioners advising clients in similar emotionally charged situations should note that Korean courts treat coordinated physical retaliation and sustained harassment as aggravating rather than excusable conduct, regardless of what triggered it.

Article: https://www.lawtimes.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=220886