40% of old Koreans supportive of 'grey divorce'

A recent poll found that four out of 10 Koreans in their 50s and 60s were open to twilight divorce or separation. gettyimagesbank

By Kang Seung-woo

Four out of 10 Koreans in their 50s and 60s said they would consider “twilight divorce” or “graduation from marriage,” a survey found, Wednesday.

Twilight divorce, or grey divorce, refers to a legal end of marriage by couples in their golden years, and graduation from marriage means living apart from a spouse without being legally divorced.

According to a Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs poll that interviewed 2,022 in the age group last November, 41.2 percent of the respondents said they would be open to divorce, 39.9 percent said they would go through a divorce depending on their situation, and 1.3 percent said they fully agree with it.

By gender, 58.4 percent of men were negative about the old-age split, compared with 41 percent from women. By age, older generations were more opposed to it, with the 65-to-69 age group most against the trend at 64.6 percent.

In addition, high earners and major city dwellers were more accepting of grey divorce more than rural residents and those with low incomes.

When it comes to separation, 42.2 percent were in favor of the idea, with 45.8 percent against it.

Marriage graduation is an emerging trend here as an alternative to divorce in a long-lasting marriage. The term was first coined by Japanese writer Yumiko Sugiyama in 2004.

According to the study, 40.3 percent of the interviewees said they could see themselves graduating from marriage, based on their situation, and 1.9 percent said they completely support it.

The views on marriage graduation were similar to those on the twilight divorce, as men, older people and rural residents were more opposed to it compared respectively to women, younger and urban residents.