The New York Times article “Koreans Agog as Off-Screen Soap Becomes Courtroom Drama” brought to light a Korean law I was unaware of, that extramarital affairs are considered illegal in South Korea. Park Chul, a Korean actor, pressed charges against his wife, Ok So-ri for having an affair with his friend. The defendant/wife, in a brilliant counter-move, led a very public press conference announcing she did have an affair with her husband’s friend, claiming 1) she and her husband only had sex ten times in eleven years, and 2) the law is outdated and should be changed anyway.
The article also points out that incest is not illegal in Korea but extramarital affairs are. I can’t help but wonder if there needs to be some major changes in legislation.
The clincher? The amazing quote that ends the article, attributed to a female student at Ewha Ha Ji-Eun, which is telling of perhaps many conservative views of women and men who believe this law has its protections:
“Korean men, many of them still get away with adultery because women are weak,” Ms. Ha said. “It was as recently as during my grandparents’ days that men brought in concubines and kicked out their wives. If this law is abolished, I am sure women will suffer more.”
