By Kang Seung-woo
The number of second marriages among middle-aged persons or older has taken a big jump of late, the national statistical office said Friday.
According to Statistics Korea, the number of remarriages among people who are over 50 years of age shot up to 18,791 in 2010.
This is up from 5,014 20 years ago and 8,928 from 10 years earlier.
The proportion of the “golden” marriages involving people who are over 60 has been increasing as well, hitting 4,812 last year compared with 1,570 20 years ago and 2,291 cases in 2000.
Women above the age of 50 who tied the knot again reached 19,056 in 2010, up from 2,081 in 1990 and 4,145 in 2000.
The numbers are attributed to an upswing in the number of divorces in this age bracket, with one out of four couples filing for the so-called “twilight divorce,” showing that more people are seeking aggressive solutions in their lives rather than to continue with their first marriage.
The number of divorces among males who were over 50 has risen from 3,384 cases in 1990 to 18,791 cases in 2010, while the women seeking divorce in the age category has grown from 2,081 cases to 10,956 cases during the cited period.
The government agency said there has been a major change in thinking among elderly people.
“The idea of marriage among the old generation has been changing,” said an official of Statistics Korea. “The traditional idea of staying married for the sake of the marriage has drastically changed.”