Divorce lawsuits soar 24% after Lunar New Year holiday

The number of divorces has seen an upward trend right after the Lunar New Year holiday over the past five years, data suggested Sunday.

According to data compiled by the Supreme Court, the number of divorces filed with courts nationwide in the month following the Lunar New Year holiday period increased by 14.5 percent from a month earlier, with 3,581 couples seeking the right to split up.

Those who filed for divorce after the traditional holiday jumped 16.7 percent on average over five consecutive years. The number of divorces in the month after the holiday last year was 4,086, up 23.9 percent from the previous month, with a rise of 28 percent in 2010, 37.5 percent in 2011 and 16.7 percent in 2012.

The number of the couples who applied for “divorce by agreement,” a method that does not require going to court, also rose right after the holiday, with an average growth rate of 16.7 percent annually.

Experts surmised that domestic disputes during the holiday period may be behind the rise in the number of divorce cases.

“Conflict erupts as women’s housework burden grows during the Lunar New Year holiday. Those who seek counseling skyrockets by 100 percent immediately after the holiday,” Jo Kyung-hye, an official from Korea Legal Aid Center for Family Relations, was quoted as saying.

A court official pointed out that it is hard to define the cause of divorce, but the long holiday period can be viewed as a probable cause for the increase in the number of divorces.

By Ock Hyun-ju, Intern reporter (laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)