A woman’s chilling ordeal involving fraud, violence, and emotional abuse at the hands of her father-in-law was laid bare in the June 18 episode of JTBC’s investigative program Crime Chief. The segment, titled “Unusual Counseling Center,” exposed the manipulative tactics and criminal history of a man who turned his daughter-in-law’s life into a nightmare.
The woman, in her 30s, shared that before her marriage, her father-in-law boasted of wealth and luxury. “He told me, ‘If you marry into our family, you’ll be draped in luxury brands,'” she recalled. But after the wedding, the reality was vastly different. He contributed nothing to the ceremony and instead began exploiting her financially.
Shortly after the marriage, the father-in-law asked for her ID and personal seal, claiming he needed to open a bank account. Without her consent, he registered a business in her name—mirroring a previous scam he had pulled on her husband during his military service. That failed business had saddled the son with heavy debts, forcing him into manual labor to repay them.
The woman also revealed disturbing details about the man’s violent past. “He beat a woman so badly she lost a tooth,” she said. “He went to prison because she refused to settle despite being offered millions of won.” The father-in-law also physically abused his own son.
The fraudulent business registration had dire consequences. The woman’s daughter, who has a disability, was disqualified from receiving support payments due to the legal complications. With her husband unemployed, she was forced to deal with everything on her own. Despite pleading with her father-in-law to close the business, he refused—responding instead with rage.
“He came to my house at 4 a.m. and left a note that said, ‘Pick up the phone before I f** you up,'”* she said, her voice shaking.
The emotional toll has been devastating. The woman is now taking medication for depression, delusional disorder, anxiety, and panic disorder. Even more troubling, her husband remained passive throughout the abuse, failing to stand up to his father. When she attempted to finalize the business closure, a confrontation with her father-in-law outside her home forced her to cancel it out of fear.
The Crime Chief team ended the segment by urging the woman to seek immediate legal and psychological help, highlighting the broader issue of familial abuse that often goes unnoticed behind closed doors.