Todd Bishop
Korean star couples Song Zhongji and Song Hye Kyo announced on Thursday (27th) that they had filed for divorce. Song Zhongji had submitted an application for divorce mediation to the court on Wednesday (26th), and the incident incited the whole of Asia. In fact, the divorce system in South Korea is different from that in Hong Kong. In the mediation process, there is a “divorce system”, which is similar to the cooling-off period, so that both sides can think clearly.
The establishment of this system also reflects the high rate of divorce in Korea in recent years, and even exceeded the problems of many Western countries. Local public opinion even said that its country is already a “divorce republic”, thus forcing the government to change the divorce procedure system, hoping to push Low divorce rate.
South Korea’s “Divorce System”
Song Zhongji announced to apply for divorce mediation to the court. The Song and Song couples will reach a divorce agreement through the lawyers of both parties, including the distribution of property that the public is concerned about, but in the Korean courts, the local government also has a system that is not available in Hong Kong. It is the “divorce system”, which is simply a cool-down period to prevent the couple from divorcing.
This “divorce care system” was originally implemented in some courts since 2005. It was officially implemented in all courts in June 2008. It requires couples to think carefully. Among them, couples without minor children are considered for one month. If there are minor children. The couple, considering the period is three months longer. After the end of the care period, the court will judge whether the couple’s willingness to divorce is the same.
By November 2012, the Korean courts had re-entered the couple. Couples with minor children had to receive education on the “Guide to Parenting” before the divorce consideration period, that is, to arrange for experts and professors to divorce couples. They first understand the impact of divorce on their children, how to stabilize their children’s emotions, and how to share their roles in the future. After completing this stage of education, they will enter the three-month divorce consideration period.
High rate of divorce in Korea
The South Korean government has to make a move, which is related to the high rate of divorce. According to the Economic Cooperation Organization (OECD), in 1990, the crude divorce rate in Korea (ie, the number of divorces per 1000 population) was 1.1, which was much lower than the average of 1.94 in the OECD countries, but has since risen to the highest peak in 2003. Reaching 3.4, this number is approaching a lot of Western countries and even more than (Australia 2.7, Britain 2.8, France 2.1, US 3.8), causing local public opinion to be hot, referring to the local becoming a “divorce republic”, OECD report also refers to South Korea It is one of the countries with the fastest rising divorce rate in recent years, which has stimulated the government to solve the problem.
After the launch of the “Divorce System”, it was generally considered effective. By 2016, South Korea’s crude divorce rate had dropped back to 2.1, but it was still higher than the OECD average of 1.93 and Japan’s 1.7.
Increase in “dusk divorce”
The rise of the divorce rate in South Korea has a certain relationship with the increase in women’s financial ability. In the past, even if the husband and wife were unhappy, the divorce may not be chosen because of the financial reasons of the other party and the external eye, but as the society turns to wealth, everyone The financial capacity has risen, and the people’s “divorce” capital has also increased. On the other hand, society’s acceptance of divorce is also higher.
However, Korean society has appeared in the words “dusk divorce” in recent years, which means that middle-aged couples who have been married for more than 20 years are divorced. Even when the divorce rate in South Korea fell, the “dusk divorce” rate rose, attracting public attention. In 2015, about one in every three divorced couples in Korea was a couple who had lived for more than 20 years.
Behind this phenomenon is actually a reflection of local social problems. The president of the Family Court in Seoul has analyzed that in the case of the poor, it is usually because the spouse’s financial ability is insufficient or the debt problem is divorced, while in the wealthy class, there are also some people. It is for the division of property, so as to avoid the inheritance tax.
