Man convicted of spousal rape found dead in apparent suicide

BUSAN, Jan. 20 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean man, the first to be convicted of
spousal rape in the country, was found dead Tuesday in an apparent suicide,
police officials said.
The 43-year-old man, identified by his surname Lim, was found by his mother
hanged at his home in southern Busan around 2:40 p.m., according to the police.
The Busan District Court sentenced Lim last week to a 30-month prison term on a
three-year suspension for forcing his 25-year-old Filipina wife to have sex at
knifepoint. He had claimed innocence and said he was determined to appeal.
He married his wife in 2006 through an international marriage broker and was
indicted last year.
In 2004, a district court found a Seoul man guilty of sexually assaulting his
wife. Lim's case marked the first time that the nation's court acknowledged
nonconsensual sex between spouses as rape.
odissy@yna.co.kr
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