South Korean woman dies with 21 broken ribs after boyfriend allegedly beats her 515 times

SEOUL – A woman in South Korea has died after allegedly being beaten by her boyfriend more than 500 times over three and a half hours.

The case was highlighted in Unanswered Questions, an investigative programme produced by Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS) and aired late last week.

The case has been described as murder through torture. The victim, identified by the pseudonym Lim Jan-di, 28, lived with her 24-year-old boyfriend, Jeon, in Seoul’s Gangseo-gu district.

Jeon contacted emergency services on June 20 after finding Lim unconscious.

Paramedics who arrived at the scene reportedly found her in cardiac arrest, with signs of severe physical abuse.

According to SBS News, a post-mortem examination found that Lim had suffered 21 broken ribs and multiple ruptured internal organs.

Closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from the couple’s apartment showed Jeon striking Lim about 515 times over three hours and 30 minutes.

The programme’s production team also examined files and documents stored on Lim’s mobile phone and discovered that the couple had created what they called a “fictional nation”.

They had established a set of mutually agreed rules, known as “gukpeu”, which they said were intended to reduce arguments.

One rule stated that either person who lied would no longer be entitled to humane treatment, with no explanations or excuses accepted once punishment had been imposed.

According to SBS News, Jeon admitted to beating Lim but maintained that he had not intended to kill her.