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The number of divorces due to spousal violence is on the rise, a trend vividly depicted by the separation after just 12 days of marriage of actress Lee Min-young and actor Lee Chan. Korean women today are increasingly likely to dissolve their marriage when they discover their husbands are violent, unlike previous generations of women who simply suffered the abuse.
Recent examples include that of a husband in his early 30's whose wife left him soon after their marriage in late 2005 because he threw a pillow at her during a quarrel. In another case, a 29-year-old office worker visited a lawyer as soon as she returned from her honeymoon, claiming her husband slapped her across her cheek during their holiday. She relented after he begged for a second chance, but finally called off the marriage when his violent side flared again months later. And physical assault isn't the only cause for splitting, as a considerable number of women leave after experiencing verbal abuse.
Many women are no longer willing to withstand violence or violent language at home, opting increasingly for divorce. Experts say this is because the perception of violence has changed greatly amongst Korean women. "While many Korean men are still of a chauvinistic mindset, thinking 'my wife provoked me,' or 'she deserves a beating,' many Korean women have changed. They won't stay with a violent husband for any reason," Park So-hyun, a counselor with the Korean Legal Aid Center for Family Relations (KLACFR), says.
Of the 3,112 women who sought help from KLACFR in 2005, 1,118 or 35.9 percent said they sought divorce because of spousal violence. The National Statistics Office says the number of divorces due to spousal conflict such as violence nearly doubled from 56,713 in 1995 to 9,0801 in 2005.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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