The husband of former MBC anchorwoman Kim Ju-ha was sentenced to eight months in prison with two years’ suspension, a Seoul court said Wednesday.

The Seoul Western District Court found the husband, surnamed Kang, guilty of assaulting Kim four times since July 2008. The court accepted Kim’s claim that her husband slapped her in the face, causing injuries that required up to four weeks to recover.

The court also ruled Kang guilty of attempting to forge his wife’s identification in order to review information on her private properties.

“Violence against one’s spouse is a severe crime that not only causes physical harm but also seriously deteriorates the mutual trust that upholds the bases of a marital relationship, leading to emotional damage against the victim,” the court stated.

The court said the ruling was in extenuation of the defendant’s reflection and paying Kim 50 million won ($47,000), adding that this was his first criminal offense.

By Chung Joo-won (joowonc@heraldcorp.com)