Man who poured boiling water on Thai partner's face appears in court for pretrial hearing
Published: 16 Dec. 2025, 15:17
![A Thai woman suffers burns to her face after her Korean partner allegedly poured boiling water on her, according to a photo captured from Facebook. [SCREEN CAPTURE]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/12/16/af924e46-b46f-44d0-b5e6-60bd807c2a61.jpg)
A Thai woman suffers burns to her face after her Korean partner allegedly poured boiling water on her, according to a photo captured from Facebook. [SCREEN CAPTURE]
A Korean man accused of pouring boiling water on his Thai partner’s face, causing severe burns, appeared in court on Tuesday for a pretrial hearing to determine whether an arrest warrant should be issued.
Prosecutors sought a preindictment arrest warrant on charges of aggravated injury.
The man arrived at the Uljeongbu District Court in a police transport vehicle at around 9:50 a.m. on Tuesday. Wearing a hat and a mask, he entered the courtroom without speaking to reporters. Because police sought a warrant for a suspect not in custody, he was not wearing handcuffs during his court appearance.
The court is expected to reach a decision later on Tuesday.
The man is accused of pouring boiling water from an electric kettle onto the face and neck of his partner, a Thai national, while she was asleep in their apartment in Howon-dong, Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi, on Dec. 3.
The woman reportedly suffered second-degree burns.
![A man accused of pouring boiling water on his Thai partner’s face, causing burn injuries, leaves the Uijeongbu District Court in Gyeonggi after a pretrial hearing on Dec. 16. [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/12/16/57f50754-9a75-4e78-94f2-bf9ea75334e2.jpg)
A man accused of pouring boiling water on his Thai partner’s face, causing burn injuries, leaves the Uijeongbu District Court in Gyeonggi after a pretrial hearing on Dec. 16. [NEWS1]
The man then took the woman to a specialized burn hospital in Seongdong District, eastern Seoul. The hospital staff, suspecting an assault, reported the case to police at around 9 p.m.
The victim later shared details of the incident through the social media account of a Thai acquaintance. Thai media outlets, including The Thaiger, reported on the case, bringing it to wider public attention.
The man said he wanted to “make her face unattractive” because he was scared she would meet another man, according to the victim. However, during questioning, the suspect denied the allegations to the police and claimed he accidentally spilled the boiling water after tripping.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JANG GU-SEUL [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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