By Lee Hyo-sik
The court ruled Wednesday that a 78-year old man can divorce his wife, 60, as the couple have lived in separate rooms for the past eight years even though they reside in the same house. It said the two have been in a state of “virtual divorce.”
The Seoul Family Court said the couple continued to have problems since they married in 1969. The man had two sons and two daughters from a previous marriage.
But ever since the two tied the knot, they continued to experience discord. The husband was particularly unhappy with his wife as she did not want to participate in his family affairs, including an annual memorial service for his ancestors. The wife did not even show up to the marriage ceremonies of her stepchildren.
In 2003, the couple decided to live in separate quarters under the same roof. They even had their own rice makers and refrigerators in their rooms.
Recently, the husband filed a lawsuit with the court, seeking a divorce from his wife. In a ruling, the court allowed the man to divorce his wife, saying their marriage is irreconcilable. “From 2003, they ate and slept separately. They just lived under the same roof but had separate lives. There was no marital life in that,” the court said, granting the divorce.