A South Korean man with a history of domestic abuse killed his wife using drugs and took his life last week, just weeks after a Seoul court rejected a second arrest warrant against him for domestic violence, police said Thursday.

The bodies of the man, 61, and his wife, 58, were found in their apartment in the Gwanak district of Seoul on July 14, according to the police.

An autopsy by the National Forensic Service found intoxicating substances in both the husband and wife, they added. 

The Seoul Central District Court expressed their regret over the case and explained they only rejected the warrants because the late wife had wanted to “reconcile” with her husband, who was her only legal guardian, and had also hoped to “improve their marital relationship.”

The late husband, surnamed Song, had been questioned by the police a number of times for domestic abuse prior to his death. He also had a criminal history that included the attempted murder of his previous spouse.

In March, he physically abused his wife for “eating squid when her teeth were not in good condition,” which led to serious injuries. She suffered a skull fracture that resulted in a coma that lasted for a few days.

Prosecutors filed an arrest warrant against him on domestic violence charges, but it was rejected by the court.

In May, prosecutors filed another arrest warrant against him, after Song injured his wife again -- this time in her legs. But it was rejected by the court again. The late victim allegedly told the authorities that her husband “didn’t do anything wrong,” and he hit her because “she deserved it.”

Police said the late husband sobbed during the investigation session which was held to determine the warrant’s validity, seemingly “regretting his wrongdoings.”

This is not the first time that a woman was murdered by her husband after a court failed to physically separate the victim from her abuser.

In 2013, a regional court ordered 10 sessions of marriage counselling, instead of issuing a divorce-order, when a long-time domestic abuse victim filed for divorce against her husband.

The victim, who had been staying at a shelter at the time, agreed to meet her husband as he offered to divorce her – instead of attending the required therapy sessions -- should she spend a day with him “for the last time.”

She was strangled to death by her spouse the same day.

“There are relationships that can be improved by counselling, and there are relationships that just cannot be fixed. The latter usually involves severe violence,” said Shin Sang-hee, an expert in domestic abuse against women at the Korea Women’s Hot Line.

“The court’s priority should be protecting the victims. They are putting the victims in danger by letting them continue spending time with the perpetrators. For example, the victim of the case in 2013 could have lived if the court issued a divorce-order instead of ordering marriage counselling.”

Police said the current system, in which the authorities cannot separate those who commit domestic abuse and their victims if the victims do not wish to do so, should change.

In the recent Gwanak case after the second warrant request was rejected by the court, the police placed the late wife at a shelter -- away from her husband -- in June.

But she eventually volunteered to return to her husband, saying it was difficult for her to adapt to life at the shelter. While staying at the shelter, the victim reportedly had been receiving threatening text messages from her husband, who told her he’d find her and kill her.

She was found dead about a month after leaving the shelter. There was no legal grounds for the authorities to stop her from returning home, the police added.

Shin from the Korea Women’s Hot Line agreed with police, but stressed the importance of understanding the unique circumstances of domestic abuse victims.

“Many would wonder why the late victim returned to her husband, in spite of the threatening text messages,” she said. “But my guess is that she returned to her husband because of the text messages. It’s highly likely that he had teen asking her to come back, while threatening to track her down and kill her if she does not do so.”

Many domestic abuse victims can’t bear such threats and the level of fear among the victims is inconceivable to those who have not experienced such abuse, Shin explained.

“It’s important for those at shelters and police to provide enough support to make sure they feel safe away from their abusers -- and let them know that there is help available.”

By Claire Lee (dyc@heraldcorp.com)