Ms. A, who married 16 years ago, first started online chatting and Internet games in 2000.

A, who even made and received frequent phone calls from her chatting partners, argued with her husband over the habit, but started to enjoy video chatting from 2002 after installing a camera on her personal computer.

Her husband, who heard his wife moaning by coincidence, set up a tape recorder in secret and confirmed that the wife was addicted to lewd online chatting. The couple finally separated, and the husband raised a divorce suit.

Judge Hong Joong-pyo of Seoul Family Court handed down a judgment Sunday, insisting, "The wife frequently had lewd online chatting sessions with various men and refused to control herself, despite breaking the couple's trust. Therefore, she is responsible for the divorce and should pay W20 million to the husband as compensation."

(Choi Kyung-woon, codel@chosun.com )