Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Trumpcard]

Just received some disturbing news from a friend living outside Seoul. She received somewhat of a distress call from an aquaintance who is regularly being beaten up by her husband. The couple live on one of the American Forces bases. The girl is in a helpless situation - no money as her part time teaching income gets paid into her husband's account. She's planning on running away tomorrow. My friend suggested she speak to her husband's superior, but apparently has already tried and was ignored. My friend might put up a plane ticket for the girl to return home (i'm being somewhat vague here on purpose).

I'm worried that if the girl does run away, and the husband alerts immigration, then she'll be in even deeper shit if she gets caught.

Any suggestions?

[CentralCali]

If her sponsor's Commanding Officer refuses to take the matter seriously, she needs to see either the Installation Commander, the Family Advocacy Program, the Inspector General, or the Command Chaplain. Military Chaplains are also responsible for counseling victims of abuse.

Here is the US Army Garrison Yongsan phone book.

She does not have to pay for her return flight from Korea if she is currently Command Sponsored. She is entitled to a government paid flight if she leaves Korea within one year of the cessation of her Command Sponsorship.

Another issue is that she should probably not continue with the part-time teaching. Unless she has the proper visa for it, which is unlikely (it's possible but rare), she would be breaking the law. That may be one thing the husband is holding over her head.

If she goes to the Command Chaplain first, he will coordinate with all the appropriate agencies (Family Advocacy, husband's CO's Immediate Superior in Command, etc.) to ensure her safety.

[cibomatto]

[lastat06513]

I think the Chaplain would be a good first start in this situation, especially if he/she is the Battalion-Brigade Chaplain because they have direct connection with the immediate supervisors of the respective victim's husband's chain of command.

If they want to end the relationship totally, they might need to go to the commander themselves to express their wish to leave Korea so the S1 can make the necessary preparations for the orders to be cut so they can get that command-sponsored ticket back to the US. This will ultimately terminate the service member's command-sponsorship, depending on the rank of the service member in question.

In any case, they might need to stay in country so the command can conduct a thorough investigation into the matter- from what I have seen in regards to domestic violence, the Army doesn't take any crap no matter what rank they are.

[CentralCali]

Thanks for the compliment. I am a retired Personnelman First Class (equivalent to a US Army Staff Sergeant) from the US Navy. Part of my job while on Active Duty was informing military family members about support services.

At the moment, all we have is third-hand reports, maybe even 4th-hand. Let's not jump to any conclusions. The Chaplain (who counsels, not preaches to, the parties concerned) is always a viable first step. He or she will coordinate with the appropriate agencies, including civilian agencies if needed. If the sponsor is abusing the spouse, she can be moved to a safe haven and her command sponsorship will remain in place. The sponsor's commanding officer will ensure that she receives the amount of money her sponsor is required to provide to her.

Conversely, if it is the military member who is actually a victim of abuse, the same entities mentioned above will follow many of the same steps to ensure his safety.

If the two spouses decide it is in their best interest to divorce, they will have to either go through the family court in Korea or one or both parties return to the US and obtain a divorce through the courts in their state or territory. Additionally, if the investigating parties--which will include the Korean National Police since a civilian person is involved in the case--determine that a crime has been committed, a trial may be warranted. If the accused is the military member, he may be tried by the US military or the Korean courts. If the accused is the non-military member, the Korean authorities will have sole jurisdiction for that. If the accused is the non-military family member, there are administrative measures available to the Installation Commander: temporary or permanent bar from entering US Armed Forces installations, revoking Command Sponsorship (thus negating the current visa), to name two.