Divorce numbers fell to 14-year low in 2011

The number of Korean couples getting divorced fell to a 14 year-low in 2011 due to the mandatory waiting system that forces people to reconsider separation, a government report showed Monday.

The report by Statistics Korea showed 114,300 couples going their separate ways in the one year period, down 2.2 percent from the year before. For December, 10,300 divorces took place, effectively unchanged from the year before.

"On an annual basis, last year's divorce number is the lowest since 91,200 cases tallied in 1997," the statistical office said.

The divorce waiting system, which was first introduced in June 2008, and forces couples to wait between one to three months before a court allows legal separation, seems to be taking effect, he said.

The official also said that a modest economic gain in the first half of last year helped curb the number of couples getting divorced.

Studies have showed a link between economic hardships and divorce numbers, with number of couples separating in Korea peaking in 2003 as the country struggled with soaring debt triggered excessive use of credit cards.

The latest report, meanwhile, showed 329,000 couples tying the knot last year, the highest figure in four years.

"There was a 0.9 percent on-year increase in marriages in 2011, with numbers for December also reaching the highest since the last month of 2007," a government official said.

The agency, meanwhile, said 583,000 people changed their residences in January, down 9.0 percent from the year before. (Yonhap)