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The number of divorces between Korean couples is decreasing, but divorces between cross-cultural couples are on the rise. According to statistics released by the National Statistical Office, there were 8,828 divorces among culturally diverse couples, up a whopping 40.6 percent from 6,280 cases in 2006 and accounting for 7.1 percent of the total divorce cases.
With the total number of international marriages being 38,491 last year, that means one in four culturally diverse couples, or 23 percent, split up. The actual number should be higher than the figures show because if a foreign national marries a Korean and obtains Korean citizenship, the couple is counted as Korean-Korean.
On the other hand, the number of divorces among Korean couples stood at 115,762 in 2007, down 2.5 percent or 2,990 from the previous year. Since the number of divorced couples peaked in 2003 with 164,932, it has been steadily decreasing every year.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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