A South Korean court, making a landmark decision in this male-dominated society, on Friday found a husband guilty of raping his wife.
The decision by a district court in the southern city of Busan marked the first time that a South Korean court has recognised the existence of sexual coercion in marriage, Yonhap news agency said.
The court found the 42-year-old man guilty of raping his 25-year-old Filipino wife and passed a 30-month suspended jail sentence.
"The accused, who should have taken good care of the victim with love and sincerity, put her through numerous hardships and threatened her with weapons to satisfy his desire, in breach of her right to self-determination on sexual acts," it said in a statement.
"The victim left her home country and loved ones, trusting the man with everything, but she underwent much suffering in this country whose language she does not understand."
The man was charged with forcing his wife to have sex by threatening her with a stun gun or a knife in July last year. They reportedly married in August 2006 through a South Korean matchmaking agency. - AFP