By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter

The Constitutional Court will reach a verdict on Thursday if adulterers should continue to face criminal charges.

The review on the constitutionality of adultery came following four different petitions including the one filed by actress Ok So-ri last February.

In Korea, adultery is illegal and people convicted of the charge face up to two years in jail. The law has been upheld as a so-called measure to protect the family and sexual morality.

But petitioners said it should no longer be regarded as illegal, claiming that the law infringes upon the right of individual choice in sexual relations and the right to privacy.

The ruling will be the fourth of its kind. Previously, there were three rulings by the Constitutional Court in 1990, 1993 and 2001 when it concluded that it was constitutional to criminalize adultery.

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