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| Gettyimagesbank |
By Lee Hyo-jin
A female office worker surnamed Jeong, 29, has been living together with her boyfriend for over two years in a studio apartment in Yeongdeungpo District, southwestern Seoul.
Saving rent and spending more time together were the main reasons why they chose to live together, but two years on, Jeong feels there are many more benefits.
"It definitely feels more secure and safer than living alone, both emotionally and physically. We spilt household chores and take care of each other when someone gets ill," she said. "Of course, we sometimes argue, but it's easier to talk it out since we have to see each other every day."
She may marry her boyfriend in the future, but not now. "Marriage seems like a big decision that I should make at some point in my life. But I'm not ready for it yet. Anyways, we already consider each other as family," she said.
Jeong is not alone.
The makeup of Korean households is rapidly changing, with diverse forms of households, such as unmarried cohabiting couples and roommates, significantly increasing in recent years, according to the latest census data from Statistics Korea.
Data released on Monday showed that the number of people belonging to households comprised of non-family members stood at 1.01 million in 2021, the highest figure since the government began to collect relevant data, and a 74 percent surge compared to 2016.
While "family households" consist of at least two members related by birth, legal marriage or adoption, "non-family households" refer to those where the householder shares the home with people with whom he or she has no blood ties. Single-person households or those living together in facilities such as dormitories do not fall into this category.
For example, two college students renting an apartment, or cohabiting unwed couple are the most commonly seen non-family households in Korea.
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| Lee Ji-yeon, an official at Statistics Korea gives a briefing about 2021 Census results at Government Complex Sejong, July 28. Yonhap |
In 2016, the number of non-family households stood at 269,444. And it has continued to increase in recent years to 308,659 in 2017, 423,459 in 2020 and 470,000 in 2021.
Social perceptions of a family are changing rapidly in Korea. But the Civil Law still defines a family as based on marriage, childbirth or adoption. Other types, such as couples and roommates who live together, as well as single-person households, are not legally recognized, making them ineligible for some government programs and benefits in housing or tax deductions.
Therefore, calls have been rising to expand the legal definition of a family to embrace diverse forms of households so that laws and systems can be improved to recognize unconventional forms of families.
A survey conducted by the Korean Women's Development Institute (KWDI) last year found that 62.7 percent of adults aged between 18 and 70 agreed that the legal definition of marriage should be expanded to include family units in common-law marriage or cohabitation.
Against this backdrop, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family introduced, in April 2021, its 2021-2025 Basic Plan for a Healthy Family Policy, which includes plans to expand the legal definition of a family to embrace those who are in diverse relationships based on companionship and care for each other.
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