Disturbing footage of a man hitting and kicking his ex-girlfriend before chasing her down a street in central Seoul with a truck shocked South Korea in July and triggered a police 100-day action campaign to combat violence against women.

But a newly released study by the Korean Institute of Criminology has revealed that the assault in broad daylight in the South Korean capital, while extreme, was not an isolated incident of abuse.

The study, based on responses from 2,000 South Korean men, showed that 1,593, or 79.7%, had physically or psychologically abused a girlfriend while they were dating.

About 71% of those who admitted a history of dating abuse said they had controlled their girlfriend’s activities through restricting their interactions with friends or family members, reported The Korea Herald.

Their controlling behaviour included calling to check who their partner was with, or stipulating how she dressed.