Seoul High Court ruled against a man who sought to divorce his estranged wife after having an affair with another woman 20 years ago.
The husband, identified only as “A,” married his wife 40 years ago, and they have two children.
“A” and his wife lived overseas with their children for 10 years. He then came back to Korea alone, leaving the children to finish their schooling.
“A” met another woman, and his wife came back to Korea after learning about the affair.
“A” used a separate bedroom and rarely gave living expenses to his wife. He then left the house and the couple lived apart for five years.
The man filed for divorce, claiming he could not get a job because his wife had spread rumors about him. He also said that although he had cheated on her, it happened long time ago and he had sufficiently apologized.
Dismissing the request for a divorce, the court said the husband was responsible for destroying the marriage by having an affair, and he did not appear to have tried very much to rebuild the family.