‘My husband opened a credit line just to order chicken’: Can gluttony be grounds for divorce?
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Can a spouse’s excessive appetite become grounds for divorce?
On Tuesday, the YTN legal advice program “Lawyer Cho In-seop’s Counseling Room” featured the story of a woman, identified as Ms. A, who has been married for three years. She said her husband’s insatiable eating is placing a financial burden on their household and causing ongoing marital strife.
“My husband eats more than just one chicken a day. He vacuums up all the food like a machine,” Ms. A said. “I don’t know whether I should be angry at him or at the chicken.”
She admitted that her husband’s appetite wasn’t a surprise. “He was like this when we were dating, and back then I actually found it endearing,” she said. “But about a year into our marriage, I started to see him as a pig blinded by gluttony.”
One evening, she ordered fried chicken on her way home from work so they could enjoy it together. But when she arrived, there was nothing left. Her husband had eaten all the chicken, tteokbokki and even the pickled radish that came with it.
His appetite didn’t stop at casual meals. On a holiday gathering with both sides of the family, he ate half the assorted jeon — Korean-style savory pancakes usually served during festive meals — and even reheated and ate the galbijjim, a dish of soy-braised short ribs, that had been prepared in advance.
When Ms. A finally confronted him, she said that he replied, “Are you yelling at me over food? Do you want to get hit?” While he didn’t physically assault her, she said the tone and look in his eyes frightened her.
“It’s not just that,” she added. “He eats all the snacks we buy for the kids, like sausages and chips, and ends up fighting with them.”
Ms. A said their dual income still wasn’t enough because of her husband’s food expenses. “Eventually, he opened a credit line just to keep ordering chicken,” she said, adding that she is now seriously considering divorce.
Still, she asked the program for advice. “I want to try everything I can before making that decision. If there’s anything else I can do, please let me know.”
Attorney Kim Mi-ru explained that while simply eating a lot is not a legal ground for divorce, the situation changes if verbal abuse, economic harm or threats to the children are involved. “If these problems persist, they may constitute ‘unreasonable treatment’ or a ‘serious reason making it difficult to continue the marriage,’ which could be recognized by the court.”
Since Ms. A has not fully decided on divorce, Kim recommended she consider court-appointed marital counseling. “Through this process, couples can consult with a professional assigned by the court to objectively assess their issues and explore whether reconciliation is possible,” she said.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.