Domestic violence is reaching an alarming level among Koreans in New York.

Hae-suk Chung, the chief director of the KAFSC (Korean American Family Service Center) which manages a 24-hour domestic violence hotline for Koreans in the greater New York area, said, “We are counseling almost non-stop for domestic violence cases. In the past, the most common case was that of a husband abusing a wife. Now, we are seeing reports of violence which increasingly include the wife beating the husband, but also cases such as daughters-in-law hitting mothers-in-law, sons or daughters hitting their elders (grandparents), ex-husbands or boyfriends hitting girlfriends or wives, etc.”

One of the employees of the service center confirmed Chung’s statement: “In the past, the problem of domestic violence among Koreans was clearly centered on the case of spouse abuse—the husband beating the wife. Now, we are seeing an increase in cases where in-laws are being beaten by their in-law children. The extent of the physical abuse is also changing—many cases report severe beatings.”

The New York Korean American Service Center’s hotline receives an average of 150 to 200 calls each month. Eun-jung Lee, the head of public relations for the center, said, “Many women call the hotline in moments of extreme fear and threat to their lives, recognizing that other women have actually died through domestic violence. The number of Korean women experiencing domestic violence is so much higher than we think, and the degree of this violence is much more serious than we want to imagine.”

Ms. Lee said, “Many people think of family violence in terms of a husband hitting a wife, or parents abusing children, and using violence against them. However, it also includes acts of violence committed by sons and daughters-in-law, or children, ex-husbands, ex-boyfriends, with, for example, the aged in laws as recipients; it is wider than husbands abusing wives. These days, the number of such cases seeking counseling is continuously increasing.”

Verbal abuse is also increasing as economic and financial pressures grow within families; for example, a husband minutely checks every purchase his wife makes or belittles her for working.

The center manages a 24-hour emergency counseling hotline for those needing help; handles cases where emergency help is requested and needed; directly intervenes to alert the police, and also provides safe emergency shelter for women who are forced out of their homes because of domestic violence. The 24-hour hotline number is: 718-460-3800.